Girl Anachronism
by amante3456
Summary: A twist on Shepard's pre-service record. A new force has taken vengeance against Commander Shepard for the Reapers, and wants to uncover the secrets of her past.
1. Chapter 1

Girl Anachronism

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Mass Effect. The original storyline, places, and characters are property of Bioware. Also the title Girl Anachronism is a song by the same name by the Dresden Dolls.

FemShep/Infiltrator. _Assumed_ Colonist/War Hero.

* * *

A virtual Milky Way galaxy swirled as it zoomed into system after system, planet after planet. Commander Shepard had a mini-universe in her hands, and was travelling it to her content. For the first time since she had joined the Alliance, Christa Shepard had nothing to do. She had saved the galaxy from the rogue Spectre Saren, and a rid the worst of the Reaper threat. Even the Fifth Fleet had not contacted her to go on some side mission that any bumbling fool could have accomplished. Now she was…bored. The Normandy was docked at the Citadel, which had gone through miraculous repairs since the remnants of Sovereign had demolished much of the Presidium. Shepard had given her crew the day off to relax, and she knew most of them would be in the Wards. The Spectre's crew had dwindled slightly in the recent months. Tali had left the Normandy to return to the flotilla, with the encrypted information on the geth that Shepard had given her after they cleared the outposts in the Armstrong Nebula. Tali still kept in contact with the Commander, and her actions had redeemed the quarians, in the slightest way. Garrus was quickly appointed to the Spectres, and had worked with Shepard to take out the geth that still plagued the galaxy. Wrex had left for a short time to return to mercenary work. He returned to Shepard, claiming his merc targets didn't have "...the satisfy splatter that geth do." Liara, who was never a fan of the fighting, also left. Last Shepard knew she was working to redeem her mother's image, now that everyone was aware she was Saren's aid. Ashley had, of course, remained on the Normandy, even though she had been offered other posts.

The Commander's pacing through the worlds finally landed on Virmire. Shepard sighed soberly as she watched the small virtual planet spin. For all that was gained on that planet, so much was lost. While Shepard knew that the lives lost there had saved the galaxy, she still wished she could have done more. She still struggled with the blame of letting the salarian team throw their lives into the fire fight as a diversion. She still wrestled the thought that she essentially condemned Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko to his death. Shepard had to make a choice. She had to make the sacrifice. It came down to the ensuring the nuke detonated, or saving the many lives of Kaidan and the recon team. Shepard chose the mission. In all honesty, the Commander thought there would be time to clear the geth and pick up Kaidan before the nuke detonated. Had Saren not shown up, there would have been time.

The whole crew suffered from the loss of Kaidan, but no one more than the Gunnery Chief that survived. After Virmire, it had seemed as if the guns had a permanent stain on them, as Ashley rarely stopped cleaning them. Most of the crew thought Williams was dealing with the loss well, considering her relationship with Kaidan. Shepard had been aware of their flirting and turned a blind eye to it, for her friends. But the guilt of losing a lover, and being the survivor from the incident had begun to crack the Chief's hard shell.

****

_Shepard moved a piece of her brown hair out of her face. Her long, soft brunette hair was free from its typical bun, and wreaking havoc. A small whoosh of the mechanical door opening torn Shepard from the paperwork she had been pouring over for the past hours. She turned and saw a slender figure, barely lit by the small desk light. Shepard looked over to the clock and saw that it was just past 0200. _

_"Chief? What are you doing up so…early?" Shepard reached over and hit the lights to her quarters. The artificial glow now illuminated the solider and nearly answered the Commander's question. Ashley's eyes were red and swollen and, frankly, she looked like a mess._

_"Can I come in, Commander?" She asked meekly. Shepard stood and motioned for her to sit on the bed. Williams sat and looked up at the Commander, water brimming in her eyes. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard._

_"I can't sleep," She started, "I keep having nightmares. I just see that bomb going off, over and over, and knowing Kaidan is…" Her voice caught. She lifted her eye in a feeble attempt to stop the tears from falling from her eyes. As the first one escaped, and rolled down her cheek, Ashley looked hard at Shepard. Her chocolate brown eyes locked on to the Commander's steely blue-green ones._

_"It's my fault." _

_"Ash…We've gone over this. It's not your fault! I made the decision to go back for you. That nuke had to go off, or the mission would have failed. I didn't think about rank, or personal relationships. I truly thought we'd have time to go get him. If it's anyone's fault its Saren's." Shepard tried to explain for what felt like, and probably was, the hundredth time. Ashley just shook her head._

_"I armed the nuke. If I hadn't, you would have had time to help him. I was stupid, and impulsive." _

_"If you hadn't, then we all might be dead right now. The geth would have overwhelmed Kaidan and the salarians, and they would have killed you to get to the bomb. Then if the geth didn't kill me, Saren would have. The only reason I got away from him was because the alarm on the nuke distracted him. When it comes down to it, you arming the nuke saved our lives." The faintest of smiles broke on Ashley's face, but Shepard doubted its honesty. If it had been genuine, it was quickly replaced._

_"Everyone I've ever gotten close to has left me. Kaidan, an officer in the 212, another soldier before that was KIA, Dad…" _

_"You couldn't have predicted any of that, Ashley. Losing people close to you is hard." Shepard tried to comfort._

_"You lost your parents on Mindoir, how did you deal with that?" Ashley asked, obviously seeking the answer to help her get through this. Shepard thought for a moment._

_"I vowed to survive for them, and not let their deaths be in vain. Then when the batarian slavers attacked the Blitz, I kept that vow."_

****

From that moment, Ashley had gotten much better. Time to time, she would still appear at the Commander's door, early in the morning and unable to sleep, but the appearances had grown less and less frequent. She had listened to Shepard, and made a vow to survive for Kaidan, and to not let his death be in vain. When they finally caught up with Saren in the Citadel and after the first fight, Ashley was more than willing to jump down and 'make sure' he was dead. Garrus had to pull her away before she took out her assault rifle and really ensured his mortality.

Now, Ashley was the only remaining crew member that was not in the Citadel. She had been picked up by a special ship, and taken to the Fifth Fleet. After all her years with crap assignments and prejudice, Shepard believed Ashley had done more than enough to clear the Williams' name. Shepard's crew had already received the Star of Terra from the Alliance, even the non-human members, but the Commander felt that was not enough to make up for the injustice that the Chief had to endure.

"Commander?" Shepard turned to see Ashley. She smiled at the soldier.

"Welcome back…Lieutenant." Ashley shook her head in disbelief.

"I knew you had something to do with this. I can't believe they promoted me. The Admiral himself, even! He told me that, 'the Williams the galaxy is going to remember now' is me." Shepard laughed at Ashley. She hadn't seen the woman happy in a while, and now her bubbly-ness was contagious.

"Come on, skipper. I believe some drinks and dancing at Flux is a good celebration." The Commander turned and looked at the galaxy map for a moment.

"Sure, but you are going to have to get a hell of a lotta drinks in me if you think I'm going to dance."

****

Most of the crew had returned to the Normandy in a less than "fit to fight" state. While everyone else was passed out, Commander Shepard was back in front of the galaxy map. Admittedly, the swirling planets combined with her buzzed state were nauseating, but the Commander was drawn to the virtual space. Leaning on the metal railing for support, Virmire came into view once again. Shepard was remotely fascinated by how up-to-date the map was. A small dark crater spun in and out of view, and every time it came back around, Shepard had to swallow the lump in her throat down. Shaking off the thoughts of Kaidan and that particular mission, Shepard brought up Mindoir. The planet was so unfamiliar to her, though her records stated her family and friends died there. Christa Shepard had lived there in her younger life, but the young woman standing in front of the galaxy map had never been in the colony. The Commander's files were filled with stories that made her seem like a hero, but few were actually true. They were fabricated by the Alliance to hide the true identity of their first human Spectre.

The Commander had lost her family and friends all at once, but most had died of old age. The Commander wished that the vow to survive for her family, to never let their deaths be in vain, was true to her. She had simply made this up to appeal to Williams at the time. In truth, the Commander was still struggling with the death of her family, and every solider that died under her command, Jenkins and Kaidan. Shepard rubbed her eyes,

"I'm too young for this shit."

"Language, missy." The Commander didn't have to turn to know Wrex was standing behind her. Wrex looked passed her to the galaxy map, "Planning a trip, Shepard?"

"I have no idea…I wish someone would give me a damn mission." Wrex chuckled.

"I thought you are 'too young for this shit'?" Wrex asked with a wry smile, "Your files say you are almost thirty."

"You read my files?"

"You don't know how many times people tried to hire me to kill you. They thought for the right price I might shoot you on your own ship. So yeah, I saw your files."

"How much were they offering?"

"Enough to purchase the Council." Shepard sat down at the top of the ramp to the map.

"…And you didn't take it? Shit Wrex, I'd shoot myself for that many credits." Wrex just shrugged.

"Never seemed worth it…something about you, Shepard. You aren't like people nowadays." Shepard could tell that Wrex was being sincere, uncharacteristic of him. He apparently realized it as well, "Besides…Williams has already pulled a gun on me twice. Don't think I didn't see her backing you up at Virmire." Wrex turned to head to the cargo hold. Shepard has always assumed that she convinced Wrex to stand down on Virmire, but maybe he has always been secretly loyal to her. He looked back at Shepard when he reached the door, "Shepard, Williams always has your back. Sooner or later she is going to find out everything that your files _don't _say…" With that, Wrex left.

Shepard sat, shell-shocked by Wrex's last words. There was no way he knew about the fabrications in her files, only the highest officers in the Alliance knew. The Commander laid back and let herself slide down the ramp, replaying Wrex's voice.

_'…__**Your files**__ say you are almost thirty…You aren't like people __**nowadays**__…everything your files __**don't**__ say…'_

The Commander sat up quickly.

"He knows."

* * *

This is just a short teaser chapter to see what kind of interest people have in this story. I'm writing it in my freetime, and just as a fun thing for me. If people like it, I'll post more chapters. So please review and let me know what you think. -amante3456


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the story, or added it to their alerts! It really motivates me to write. Just a fair warning though, I am currently taking college courses online, and my papers for grades will come before the story. I'm already working in chapter 3 though, so for now don't worry.

Girl Anachronism

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Mass Effect. The original storyline, places, and characters are property of Bioware. Also the title Girl Anachronism is a song by the same name by the Dresden Dolls.

* * *

"_You did it Joleen! You did it!" A man's voice came over the comm. system. Joleen ran her fingers through her brown hair, and pulled it out of the bun that restrained it. She blew a rogue strand away, that had ventured into her vision. Her blue-green eyes focused out in front of her. _

_The final frontier. She had escaped Earth's atmosphere and now was flying through space. Stars lit up the area ahead like fireworks cheering her on, celebrating her, welcoming her. At twenty, Joleen Baker was now the youngest human in space. She was flying alone, in a prototype ship designed specifically for her, for this moment. For now, Joleen felt she could rest. This mission was a simple one, survive. This was merely a test run for her father's ship. If it went well, NASA would develop the prototype, and space shuttles would advance into more jet-like ships. Joleen laid back her head and let her close for a moment's peace._

_Alarms blared Joleen back into alert. The ship was beeping madly at her, and she had no idea what was going on. Nothing in front of her seemed to cause the warning, but still the ship persisted. Heart racing, the young girl tried to stop the alarms, to no avail. _

_"What the hell is going on?!" She screamed out at the ship's controls. Beeping screamed back at her. Now the ship started to rattle, growing into a shake worse than turbulence. Gripping her seat tightly, Joleen looked up to see space itself opening up and enveloping her into darkness._

_Beep…beep…beep…beep…_

****

Shepard bolted upright in a cold sweat. The beeping in her head slowly faded and her breathing slowed when she realized she was just on the Normandy. She pinched the bridge of her nose and looked at the clock. It was just before 0600; the crew would be waking soon. Shepard stood, and quickly remembered that she and Williams had been drinking the night before when a migraine split through her head. Considering the rest of the crew had been in a similar, if not worse state last night, Shepard was not expecting them to rise and shine. The Commander pulled on her day wear and let her head pound away.

"Commander?" Joker's voice broke through from the intercom, "Sorry to wake you."

"I'm up Joker…Are you talking loudly on purpose?" Joker's voice was a couple notches louder than normal. He was also aware of the crew's state, and was more than happy to take advantage.

"Me? Nope, can't say that I am being _loud_." He even said the word louder. Shepard rolled her eyes.

"Did you call me just to make my head throb?"

"Oh no, there is a transmission for you. Want it at the map?" Shepard affirmed this and quickly tossed her hair into a bun.

****

"Commander Shepard…There has been reports of geth activity lately." The Admiral's disembodied voice told the Spectre. He paused for a moment then said, "On Earth." Shepard was taken aback. She never expected the geth to get so…cocky.

"I'm asking you to take care of this, not only because you are experienced against the geth, but because you are familiar with the area the reports are coming from. The northeastern part of the US? Just be warned Shepard, its winter there. Fifth Fleet out."

Shepard smiled slightly. She remembered the New England winters, and knew how harsh they can be. Some days in January could make the blizzards on Noveria look mild.

"Joker, tell Ash and Wrex to suit up. And put some extra layers on."

****

The Normandy docked in a large Earth port, close to where the reports of geth were coming from. The ground crew took the Mako from there, Shepard at the helm. The area they were in was one that would probably be considered a 'slum' to the rest of Earth. It seemed underdeveloped and looked as if someone just forgot about it. The extreme weather kept most people away, at least until the more mild summers.

"How do the geth even operate in this cold? They're metal, don't those bastards freeze?" Wrex grumbled, clearly shivering himself. Ashley laughed,

"I'm sure a couple Incendiary rounds will warm them right up." Shepard chuckled along with Williams, but she knew this mission would be more difficult than their normal geth-cleanouts. They couldn't just run through and clear things out. Small towns lived in the cover of mountains, a strategic place for the geth to also hide from the weather. After driving about an hour, the shore party reached a small spread-out town. Just has she had suspected, it was in a low valley, surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains. Shepard stopped the Mako and got out, much to Wrex's dismay. Ashley stood beside the Commander, her hand on her pistol.

"What's our move, skipper?" The Commander stared somberly at the town. Ashley tried to spy what Shepard was focused on, but didn't see anything, "Commander?" Shepard turned and jumped back in the Mako. She typed in the coordinates of the most recent reports into the on board computer. After memorizing the location on the map, the she hopped back out. Pistol in hand, she began to head down a street.

"Let's just get the geth and get the hell out of here." Shepard didn't say another word. She just took off, and didn't stop moving. Down one street, left on another, and then right onto a side road. The woman's movements were automatic, and without thought. Within moments the crew had reached a house. Like most of the underprivileged, this area had not advanced past the twenty-first century. Neither had the housing developments apparently. Shepard entered the house.

"Skipper, you can't just go in. That's breaking and entering, or trespassing!" Ashley said, but Shepard still moved in. The house was empty, and it had appeared to have been for a long time. Like she had been, the Commander seemed to know where she was going. She moved around the house and down to the basement, quickly finding an old-fashioned wooden door with a coded lock. Wrex raised his shotgun,

"I got it, Shepard." As he was about to pull the trigger, Shepard jumped in front of the door. Wrex grunted and lowered his gun. Not even bothering to decode the lock with her omni-tool, the Commander typed in the numbers '41114.' To the rest of the crew's surprise, the door unlocked.

"How did yo-" Ashley started to ask, but the Commander silenced her with a hand motion. Shepard moved down the set of stairs that the door had revealed. The party stepped quietly, unsure of what they would find, until they heard a familiar mechanical whirr. Geth.

It was close quarters and this left Shepard at a slight disadvantage, with an Infiltrator specialization. Shepard's omni-tool glowed to life; she looked back at her squad mates, and then turned a corner to face the geth. Quickly, she sabotaged their weapons. The geth, taken completely by surprise, shrieked in complaint, as their guns wouldn't fire and the overheat burned them as well. Wrex and Ashley came up from behind, weapons blazing. A geth Destroyer charged at Shepard. A carnage blast from Wrex hit the Destroyer square in the chest and it fell a few feet short of the Commander. A geth Hopper was trying to evade Ashley's assault rifle, but the tight area made it difficult for the geth to jump and it finally dropped from the ceiling with a satisfying _thud_. The team moved to the next room, and was faced with a more expansive area. As they walked out, a geth Prime turned and pointed at them. Just as it let out a mechanical growl, Shepard pulled out her sniper rifle and ended its cry with a shot to the head. The Prime dropped and all the geth raised their weapons and fired. Shepard dove behind a supply crate, and the other two moved in the opposite direction for cover. She leaned out and hit the middle of the group with her overload ability. Wrex and Ashley quickly mowed down the weakened geth. Noticing a couple geth advancing on her teammates, Shepard threw a tech proximity mine. She turned and started picking off geth with her rifle. Moments later, the geth hit the mine and were blown sky-high. Coming out from behind the crate, Shepard shot the last geth right in the light 'eye.'

"I think we're clear, Commander." Williams said, also coming into the open, "What is this place? Why did the geth stay in this house?" She asked, observing the garage-like room. Shepard didn't answer and walked a little deeper into the room. Ashley looked at Wrex, "She hasn't spoken since we left the Mako." Wrex just shrugged and followed the Commander. Ashley stood by herself for a moment, "Is _no one_ talking to me?" She asked the air, who also didn't answer.

Shepard ran her hand along the old concrete wall. It was cracking from age and chilly from the frozen ground on the other side. Her fingertips caught a particular crack, and she moved them up and down it. Williams and Wrex stood behind her, and watched carefully. Shepard then forced the wall inwards, and a section pushed back, and slid to the side. She looked back to view the shocked expressions from her team then turned back to the safe that was now revealed. It had the outdated spin lock on it, that an omni-tool would not be able to decrypt. Shepard slowly turned the knob, using the same numbers from the first lock, '4-11-14.' The safe unlocked and the door swung open. There wasn't much inside, a few papers and a small black book, but Shepard collected the items and tucked them into her armor for safe keeping. She turned and looked passed her crew, gazing around the room.

"Let's get out of here."

****

"Commander, transmission…" Joker said as the crew returned to the Normandy.

"Patch it to the comm. room, would you please Joker." Shepard asked, her voice in almost a growl.

"Uh…Yeah Commander, no problem."

Shepard walked into the comm. room and waited for the transmission.

"Commander, I've gotten word that you took care of the outpost. Good work." The Admiral said. Shepard jumped in before he could continue, or try to leave.

"You knew where the geth were set up. " She roared at the transmission, "You knew exactly where you were sending me, Admiral."

"I did Shepard. No one else knew the layout of that town, or that house. I apologize if the mission bothered you, but no one else would have been able to get into the underground hangar." Shepard was pacing the comm. room. She could lash out at the Admiral, he wouldn't be able to do anything because of her Spectre status, but she knew it would get her nothing. The Admiral thanked Shepard for her work, then disconnected. The Commander left the comm. room in a huff. Williams watched the brunette as she went straight for her private quarters. The new Lieutenant followed after her.

"Christa, can I come in?" She asked before letting herself into the room without a response. Ashley was one of the few people who called the Commander by her first name, and even then it wasn't often. Shepard was lying in bed, glaring at the ceiling. Ashley sat on the bed, next to the other woman.

"You okay?" She asked softly. Shepard didn't move, she appeared frozen. Without looking at Ashley, she muttered,

"I'm fine."

"You obviously aren't, skipper." Ashley replied, her tone a touch harsher, "You were happy and joking on the way to the geth outpost, but once we pulled into that town, you didn't say a word. You were like a robot out there." Shepard's jaw flexed.

"I was…_familiar_ with the town." She said tensely, "There were some memories there that I hadn't planned on dealing with any time soon." Ashley nodded, worried to dig to deep on the Commander's past life.

"I gotta ask skipper, how did you know the codes for the lock, and the safe? You didn't even use your omni-tool. And the safe? How did you know where it was?"

"It was the same code. The geth probably hacked the door and armed it after, thinking it would buy them some time or at least warn them someone was coming." Shepard sat up to face Ashley, "I knew the codes and where everything was because…I lived there." Ashley couldn't hide her shock. Her jaw fell slack.

"I didn't even know you spent time on Earth. What do you think the geth were looking for?"

"I don't know. I doubt they knew I ever lived there, it's not in any of my files." Shepard explained. Wrex's voice played in her head, '_Sooner or later, she is going to find out everything that your files _don't _say…' _Shepard shook out the thought. The more pressing matter was what the geth were looking for.

"I doubt there was anything in that old hangar that the geth could have used. All the technology down there is ancient now." Shepard chewed on her lower lip as she thought. Ashley watched her Commander closely. Williams had always laid her trust in the officer, backing her every decision. Shepard was different than any other superior officer she had ever worked with. Shepard had taken the time to get to know every single member of her crew. It caused some rumors about her intent, especially with Kaidan and Liara, but Shepard had never pursued a romance with anyone. Much of the crew pondered this, but in the end, Ashley saw the benefit of this. Shepard's decision on Virmire was not clouded by romantic feelings for her comrades, but it cannot be said that she didn't choose with her heart. The Commander honestly felt she could save both her squad mates, and Ashley knew it had hurt the woman deeply to lose Kaidan.

That was one thing that set Shepard apart from other officers. She always went with her heart in a decision. The turian councilor had always harped on this. Shepard was never willing to sacrifice someone. When she was given the chance to save the colonists on Feros, she quickly empathized with them. If she could persuade someone to step down from a fight, she was more than happy to put her gun away. For a Spectre, Shepard is an oddity. Though she is no longer confined by laws, she refuses to break them. Many humans and aliens alike fear the power of Spectres, and Shepard always seemed uncomfortable with that. Ashley remembered how dejected and shunned the Commander felt on Noveria, as all the worried businesspeople watched her every step. She seemed so innocent and naïve that people could be so cruel, just because of whom she was. Shepard was so confident in her actions, and yet so uncertain about the world around her.

"Maybe the geth did know it was my old house…" The Commander broke the long silence. Shepard looked the LT dead in the eyes. Ashley felt like she was staring right to her soul. Ocean-colored eyes, a window straight into Shepard. Behind her warm, friendly, and confident shell, Ashley could see fear and deep-rooted pain. Though the Commander was older, Ashley was suddenly overwhelmed with a big sister-ly feeling. She wanted to comfort the woman, and protect her from her fears. This wasn't a new feeling. It was the reason why Williams was right behind Shepard through every mission, decision, and action. It was the reason why Williams refused to accept other posts, even after she was promoted. It was the reason Williams was sitting across from Shepard.

"Do you think it's possible, if the geth knew you lived there, that they are trying to gather intel on you?" Ashley offered.

"But why?" Ashley shrugged.

"Well skipper, you are the reason Sovereign was destroyed. To them you essentially killed their god. If it were me, I'd be pissed." Ashley said, knowing Shepard was aware of her religion. "Wouldn't surprise me if they were organizing an attack on you."

Shepard leaned back and rested her head on the wall. She let out a soft chuckle,

"Great…I'm an organic she-devil." Ashley laughed,

"You never had me fooled Commander." She stood up from the bed and turned towards the door, "You okay now skipper?" Shepard gave her a heartfelt smile,

"Yeah, thanks."

* * *

That one was a tad longer. As always, review please! Just taking the moment to say, "hey this one part made me giggle," makes all the difference in the world. -amante


	3. Chapter 3

Girl Anachronism

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Mass Effect. The original storyline, places, and characters are property of Bioware. Also the title Girl Anachronism is a song by the same name by the Dresden Dolls.

Again, thanks to everyone who adds story alerts, and double thanks to everyone who reviews. It's always nice to know people want to read what you write, and its even more appreciated when you take the time to tell me about it. This chapter is a bit longer, and contains some language (warning for any kiddies out there:P) For anyone who read the first chapter and thought "Oh no, its only Wrex and Ashley left." This chapter will ease your concerns. Anywho, enjoy!

* * *

Shepard let her hair loose and drape down to her shoulders. Rogue pieces fell in front of her eyes, as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Dark circles had long been formed under her eyes. Stress and exhaustion had not been pleasant to her, and Shepard felt like she looked surprisingly old, though anyone else would have argued that she looked amazing for "thirty." Exiting the bathroom, Shepard noticed Wrex puttering about the mess.

"What are you doing up here Wrex?" He looked up. If Shepard had startled him, he didn't show it.

"You're looking…calmer." He grumbled, "Don't think I've seen you that angry Shepard, not even when they grounded the Normandy before Ilos." Shepard moved over towards Wrex and sat on the dining table.

"Concerned, Krogan?" She asked raising her eyebrows and smiling coyly at him. Wrex chuckled softly, giving Shepard a small smile.

"Not happy about going home, huh?" He asked, avoiding her question. Shepard's smile was wiped away; Wrex's got bigger, satisfied that he struck a nerve.

"Did Ash talk to you?"

"Williams? Haven't seen her." Wrex responded, still smiling.

"How the hell do you know all this stuff about me Wrex?" Shepard asked, dropping her voice in case a crew member was around.

"I worked for someone who sells secrets for a living, Shepard." He said matter-of-factly, referring to the Shadow Broker.

"How does he kn-" Shepard paused. She remembered a Shadow Broker agent had contacted her once. When Shepard refused to hand over the information he desired, the agent promised that they would just retrieve it out of the Alliance database. Shepard was certain there was probably some file deep in the records that revealed her identity.

"Knowledge is power." Wrex said suddenly, jarring the Commander from her thoughts. For someone as brutish as Wrex, that statement seemed largely out of place. "That's what the Shadow Broker would always say. Considering he's one of the most powerful men in the galaxy, I'd say it's not far from the truth. That's why I know things about you Shepard." As always, Wrex's expression was unreadable. Shepard gave him a small smile,

"Bet you love that power Krogan." Wrex chuckled and that gave way to an agreeing smile. He had never taken offense to the Commander calling him Krogan; it was more of a nickname than anything. Wrex thought to himself, '_I must be going soft…I would have shot anyone else.' _The smile faded off his face as he returned to his intimidating stoicism. He gave a small nod to the smaller woman, "Shepard." He dismissed himself.

Wrex was an enigma wrapped in a riddle to the Commander. Shepard could easily read any other person or alien, even Tali, whose masked face revealed little. Only an air of anger and aggression ever came from the krogan. Even when he smiled, Shepard questioned it, or the smile would fade quickly and Wrex would regain his composure. Wrex's only enduring smiles are when he is standing in the middle of a battlefield, with dead geth around him, but still. He had a heart, or two, and Shepard was going to bring it out in him.

****

Shepard sat her desk in her private quarters. She was supposed to be working on reports, but procrastination was setting in. She remembered when she was in high school, everyone complained of procrastination. Everyone.

"How did we accomplish anything? I wish Saren had procrastination. 'Let's take over the galaxy…Tomorrow!" Shepard leaned back in her chair. Looking passed her pile of reports, she spotted the small black book taken from the safe on Earth. Gently, she took it in her hands and opened it. The bottom right-hand side of the first page had a messy cursive 'Alan Baker." She flipped through slowly. Many pages had sketches on them, different schematics and prototypes of now out-dated ships. Shepard felt like she was looking at the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. The ships were far beyond the technology of the date they were designed. The earliest date was the year 2021, well before element zero, galactic colonies, or any Prothean technology was found my humankind. Small notes would be scribbled along with the pictures, or log entries describing minor events. On 4/11/2030 an entry was written. Shepard scanned the entry. It was of Alan's daughter, Joleen.

_Big day for the family today! Joleen got her driving license today, her sixteenth birthday. Seems like yesterday my baby girl was running around the NASA headquarters, bugging all the 'spacemen' to take her to the moon. Now it will only be a matter of time before she becomes an astronaut herself. NASA HQ knows she has completed the basic requirements. She's done the basic training for fun about twelve times now. Hell, she's been riding the vomit comet since she was seven! Well, in two years when she finishes her Bachelor's in Engineering, they will have no option but to give her a pilot's license. Thank god we homeschooled her. _

Shepard smiled softly to herself, flipping through more pages and more entries. Most were of a proud father, boasting of his daughter's achievements. At eighteen, Joleen did receive her Engineering degree, and then received her astronaut pilot license. The entries died off in the next year, but the sketches increased exponentially. Alan's blueprints had become even more advanced than before, possibly aided by his daughter. Shepard marveled at how old the drawings were, yet they had to have been similar to early Alliance ships. Another entry caught her eyes: 6/17/2034.

_Today is the big day! In about an hour, Joleen will be taking off with the 'Omaha'. So much hard work, years and years of dedication on both of our parts and it all comes down to this. My ship, and my baby girl, heading off into the final frontier. At the end of the day, Joleen will be the youngest person in space. If the mission is a success, NASA will develop upon my 'Omaha' prototype. But right now, I need to go say goodbye to my daughter, and tell her I will see her soon._

That entry was the last. Shepard tossed the book on her desk. Out of the pages slid a small golden disk. It looked incredibly fragile, and she took extreme caution as she picked it up. Inspecting the disk, Shepard had no idea of any of the markings on it. It certainly wasn't human. While she couldn't decipher it, she had an idea of who could.

****

Shepard was pacing. The Normandy had landed at the Citadel, and the Commander and Williams were waiting in the embassies lounge. Ashley watched her superior wear the metal floor down. Some aliens had already left the lounge, anxious by the Spectre's motion.

"Commander Shepard?" A soft, feminine voice asked. Shepard looked up and saw the owner of the voice. Liara smiled softly at her former leader, and savior. Noticing the solider, Liara greeted, "Chief Williams."

"Lieutenant Williams." Ashley corrected bluntly. Shepard threw her a look, then greeted the young asari.

"Good to see you again, Liara. I have something I need your help with." Shepard pulled out the small disk. Liara took it gently in her hands and began to look it over. "We recovered that on our latest mission."

"It certainly looks Prothean. You said you found it in a diary. Was its discovery dated?" Liara asked, looking briefly at the Commander, then back to the disk.

"Not exactly. There was no mention of the disk in the book, it just fell out. But the dates of entries in the book only date from '21 to '34." Liara looked shocked.

"Wait? 2034?" Shepard nodded. "I'm not an expert on human history, Commander, but I thought your species did not uncover Prothean artifacts until a hundred years later." Again, Shepard nodded.

"We didn't. That's why I didn't know if it was actually Prothean. I have no idea how this man found this disk, a century before humans found the artifacts on Mars. Not to mention, 35 years before the human space settlement."

"He didn't even write it down. If I had found something alien like that I would have been shouting from rooftops." Ashley quipped. "Then again, it was Alan Baker." Ashley laughed softly. Shepard and Liara gave her a quizzical look.

"Oh come on? You two have never heard of him? That ship he designed, Omaha. That's practically the basis for every Alliance ship built. The guy was about a century and a half too early with his design. They say he lost his marbles after his daughter disappeared."

"Disappeared? What happened?" Liara asked, always interested in a history story.

"His daughter, Joleen Baker, is the youngest human to have flown in space. Not even Alliance pilots have beaten her record. All our pilots have to be at least twenty-one. Some people say it's just to preserve her honor and her record, but I think its cause of what happened. The girl took off one day, perfect flight, on course, and everything. Then the next day, she was gone. The old space program, NASA, they just thought they lost contact, so they sent up another ship to look for her. For years they would have every space mission deployed with the secondary mission to search for her. Never found anything. Lost in space, without a trace. No one has any clue what happened. She's the Amelia Earhart of our century." Liara opened her mouth, beginning to ask about Amelia Earhart, but Shepard waved her off.

"Back to the mission." She said in a commanding voice. Ashley gave a quiet, "Yes ma'am." Liara just nodded slightly. "We need to figure out what this disk says. It was probably what the geth were after."

"If you don't mind Shepard, I'd like to take it. Most Prothean disks take some time to decrypt, and it would be much easier in my lab." Liara asked, her eyes moving back to the disk. Shepard agreed, but told Liara to contact her as soon as she found something. They went on their separate ways, and the two soldiers headed back to the Normandy. They boarded the elevator in C-Sec to the docking bay.

"How do you know so much about Joleen Baker, Ash?" Shepard asked. Ashley shrugged.

"To be honest, she is kind of my role model. I know that sounds lame, but she was the youngest person in space. She had a dedication to becoming an astronaut and getting out there," She said, waving her arm out at the space visible through the glass elevator. "She got her high school diploma at fourteen, her engineering degree, then her pilot's license at eighteen, and was in space by twenty. Her record has never been broken, and probably won't be anytime soon. Plus, she was the first person to fly solo into space, and they can never take that away from her. You know, the old vids said that Amelia Earhart was her role model. Betcha she would have never guessed they fell to the same fate." Ashley said, her voice a little softer. "I don't know, skipper, growing up, knowing that a girl had set those records had kinda inspired me. You can't tell me you never had that?"

Shepard smiled, "Yeah…mine's a bit older though." The elevator had finally reached the docking bay and the two women headed to the Normandy.

****

"Transmission, Commander. Patching it through." Joker informed Shepard.

"Commander Shepard?" The deep voice of the Admiral came through. "I have a mission for you. An Alliance team has lost contact with us. They we last reported on Chasca. I'd like you to head out there and see if you can't find out what happened. Fifth Fleet out." Wrex and Ashley stood behind the Commander. Wrex grunted.

"Chasca was that planet we found all the Husks on. Those marines are probably dead."

"It's worth going out there if there is even one soldier alive." Ashley retorted. Shepard set the flight course for Chasca. She hadn't heard anything from Liara in a couple days and was getting anxious. Rather than tearing a hole in the hull from her pacing, Shepard thought the mission would distract her. She suited up and headed towards the Mako. Ashley jumped in behind the controls and moved the vehicle into position. The cargo door opened and Joker gave the word. The Mako ripped out of the Normandy and flew down towards the planet. The squad were lifted out of their seats as they free-fell, then getting rattled and tossed when the ground hit them suddenly. Bringing up the on-board computer, Shepard punched in the last known coordinates of the marine team. She was relieved to see it was away from the research buildings that had housed a colony of Husks. The Mako tore across the planet's surface, the Matano star casting a brilliant light. Shepard sat in the gunner's seat and was using the zoom on the turret to keep an eye out on the area ahead. A small object on the horizon seemed out of place against the picturesque background.

"Looks like there is a facility about three klicks ahead. Bring in up slow, I'll take out any forces outside." Ashley let off the gas and let the Mako slow down. Using the steep mountains as natural cover, Williams maneuvered towards the concrete building. Shepard spotted two sniper towers through the turret and took them out clean. The Commander loved the Mako's mounted turret. It was like using a giant, automatic sniper rifle. The sudden death of the two snipers had alerted the ground forces of the Mako's presence.

"Hit it Ash!" Shepard ordered. With a small sneer, Ashley gunned the Mako, at top speed, at the enemies. Their guns could not penetrate the Mako's shields, and their bodies certainly did not slow it down. With a thud the alien and human adversaries flew over the top of the vehicle. Wrex chuckled to himself in delight. With the outside enemies gone, the crew exited the Mako.

"That was too easy." Wrex said, looking at the bodies splayed about the field.

"Everyone else is probably guarding the base." Ashley replied.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting." Shepard pulled out her pistol and headed to the door. She unlocked it with her omni-tool and led the team in. The room they entered was similar to most of the bases in different colonies. It opened to a huge, multi-level area. As the door slid open, a turian looked their way. Wrex blasted him away before he could even reach for his weapon. The shotgun blast alerted every other enemy in the room and guns started firing off from every direction. The team took cover behind a short wall.

"I'm going to get up on the second floor, you two cover me." Shepard commanded. The other two nodded then came out from behind the wall, guns blazing. The closest enemies were quickly taken out and Shepard ran for the stairs. Reaching the top, she shot a sniper in the back of the head, then pulled out her own rifle. Looking down onto the first floor, the Commander saw Wrex and Ashley behind cover. Shepard shot a human who was advancing on the two.

Ashley heard the Commander's rifle and knew for a moment the enemies would be distracted from where the shot came from. She ran out from behind cover and shot down the first thing she saw move. Another shot rang out from above, as Shepard provided cover-fire. Wrex came charging out and threw a turian into a wall with his biotics. Ashley knocked another turian out with the butt of her assault rifle. Looking up she spotted the last enemy left, a hulking krogan. He lifted his shotgun, and took aim on Ashley. Suddenly he was surrounded with a dark glow and propelled straight up into the air. Wrex and Ashley both opened fire on the krogan until he dropped to the ground with a sickening and satisfying smack.

"All clear Commander." Ashley reported, taking off her helmet and fixing her hair. Shepard didn't reply. "Commander?"

Silence.

"Shepard!" Wrex bellowed, making Ashley cringe.

Silence.

Ashley's eyes widened in fear as she looked towards Wrex. They both took off running to the stairs. The second floor was empty, and there was no sign of Shepard anywhere. Ashley clipped her rifle back into place and started searching for a door or some explanation for Shepard's disappearance. Wrex moved in the opposite direction of Williams, keeping his shotgun at the ready. He heard a soft noise behind him and he whipped around. The young soldier was on the ground, a turian and a krogan stood above her. Wrex lifted his gun at the aliens.

"Let her go." He barked. The turian turned to face Wrex, and the enemy krogan lifted the limp woman up.

"Thank you Wrex, the Shadow Broker will be pleased that you brought these two to us." The turian sneered. The krogan tried to walk away with Ashley, but Wrex froze him in stasis.

"What the hell does the Shadow Broker want with them? He doesn't take hostages!"

"Your human allies had the opportunity to give the Shadow Broker what he desired, and they denied him. He swore he would repay them for their disrespect." Wrex was glowing with dark energy that matched his rage. The stasis holding the krogan died off. He grunted at Wrex, but turned to walk off with Ashley again. This time Wrex lifted him with his biotics, while Ashley dropped softly to the floor. Wrex lifted his shotgun at the turian.

"Give me back my humans." Wrex growled. The turian raise an eyebrow.

"Your humans? Oh Wrex, don't tell me you've gone soft for _humans_." The turian taunted. "Of all the species in the galaxy…" He shook his head. Wrex's lip curled in anger. In one quick blast, he wiped the smirk of the turian's face, along with the rest of it.

"I'll get them myself." He mumbled. The other krogan finally fell to the ground, and Wrex used his biotics to throw him up against a wall. He hit the metal wall hard, and slumped motionless on the floor. Wrex clipped his shotgun back and picked up Ashley's limp form. She had been bashed in the back of the head, and with no helmet to protect her, she was out cold.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

****

Shepard slowly opened her eyes. A throbbing pain in the back of her head blurred her vision temporarily. Some coward had smashed the Commander with the butt of their gun. Shepard's hands were bound behind her. The room she was in was empty of anything, and the only door was surely locked. Her captors left her weaponless, even taking her omni-tool. Shepard wished she had biotics. Then, at least, she wouldn't feel completely helpless, like she did right now. Her only chance was that her teammates were not incapacitated and looking for her.

The door slid open. Shepard barely lifted her head to see who entered. An asari walked right in front of her and sat on the floor next to her. For a fleeting moment, Shepard hoped the alien was Liara, but that was the probably concussion talking. The asari looked at her, almost apologetically.

"What the fuck do you want with me?" Shepard spat.

"I want nothing from you Commander Shepard, but the Shadow Broker has plans for you." The asari explained. Shepard got the feeling that the alien wasn't comfortable with holding the human Spectre hostage. A turian burst into the room, hardly waiting for the door to open completely.

"That bitch's little pawns just killed Kylen and Rykus!" He roared at the asari, and then faced Shepard. "I would kill you myself, if the Broker didn't need you alive." He waved his three-fingered fist in the Commander's face. Shepard glared into his black eyes. He sneered, "The Shadow Broker is going to teach you how important information is and how important you are to the galaxy…or not."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shepard growled, "What did you do with those marines?" The turian laughed.

"What marines? Maybe you were _misinformed?"_ He taunted.

"You sent a false report to the Alliance just to get me out here?"

"Well not me, personally. The Shadow Broker might get mad if I took credit for that." The turian walked around the room like he was performing a victory lap. He paused with his back turned to Shepard. "Amazing the power information has, isn't it? Entire civilizations would crumble without it." He clenched his fist, then whipped around to face the Commander.

"Such power you hold over someone when you know their secrets. Wouldn't you agree, _Shepard?_" He said, lifting his alien eyebrow. All blood drained from the woman's face, and she dropped her head to the ground. The turian walked over and grabbed the Commander by her chin, lifting her head.

"Care to find out if anyone gives a _damn_ about you?" He snarled. He let go and Shepard's head dropped back to the ground. "Another agent has contacted the Council, and informed them of your predicament. My credits say they will do nothing. What do you think Aleecin?" The turian turned to the asari, who had backed herself into a corner.

"I'm not playing your ridiculous game Braxen. This human has done more for the galaxy than the Shadow Broker, and she didn't have to bribe anyone with secrets." The asari burst out. The turian looked taken back. His face changed from shocked to angry quickly.

"Just watch her." He grumbled, then left the room.

****

"The human Spectre, Christa Shepard, has been captured. The agents holding her hostage demand a sum of one million credits for her release. If they are not paid, the Spectre will be killed." A transmission played to the members of the Citadel Council. The newest member, former Captain David Anderson could not hide his shock and concern.

"We have to do something." He blurted.

"Shepard got herself into this mess, she can get herself out." The turian councilor responded.

"Unfortunately, he's right Anderson," The asari councilor said in a calmer voice, "We don't deal with ransom situations, and Spectres are responsible for themselves."

"Can't we send in a ship? Someone to help her at least?" Anderson tried to reason.

Nearby a turian Spectre sat in on the Council's debate over if they should act. He had a feeling they would abandon the human Spectre, despite all she had done for them. He wasn't about to sit around and let the savior of the galaxy die. Copying the coordinates of Shepard's last mission onto his OSD, the turian took off to his small starship. Now he would finally get the chance to repay Shepard for taking him along on her battle against Saren, for teaching him everything, and for helping him become a Spectre.

* * *

Next update may be a little while...got a big paper due soon. But I'll certainly be procrastinating with this. -amante


	4. Chapter 4

Girl Anachronism

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Mass Effect. The original storyline, places, and characters are property of Bioware. Also the title Girl Anachronism is a song by the same name by the Dresden Dolls.

I'm not sure about this chapter. There are many things I like about it, I just edited it a lot. Which I normally just write it all once, and am done with it. Reviews are more than encouraged for this chapter especially. Please tell me how you like or dislike this one.

And of course thanks to those who reviewed:)

* * *

"I'LL KILL YOU!" A human screamed as he charged at the hulking krogan. Wrex took his shotgun in one hand and swung it like a club. The human's neck cracked as the weapon made contact with his head, and dropped to the ground. Clipping the gun back into place, Wrex adjusted the weight he was carrying over his shoulder. Ashley had still not stirred. The enemy krogan who had knocked her out had hit her hard on her unprotected head. Wrex grabbed his pistol, figuring it would be easier to shoot while still holding Ashley. He moved through the complex, not trying to be discreet. He opened every door he could find, killing anyone inside.

"Dammit Shepard. Where are you?" He growled, as he once again opened a room that revealed only a few mercenaries. Killing them before they could even stand, the krogan moved on. He heard footsteps behind him. Wrex slowed his pace, gripping his gun tightly. He looked over his shoulder, but no one was there. He grunted at the air, and continued down the hall. The footsteps returned, closer this time. Reeling around, Wrex put in gun in the face of his stalker. He was greeted to an assault rifle between his eyes. The owner of the weapon lowered it as soon as he saw his target.

"Wrex?" He said. Wrex lowered his weapon as well.

"Vakarian." Wrex said plainly, "What are you doing here?"

"The Council was contacted about Shepard's capture." Garrus explained.

"So, they sent you? We don't need your help turian." Wrex spat, turning back down the corridor. Garrus ran after him.

"Judging by William's state…I'm guessing you do." Wrex turned angrily.

"Look, you left us to become a Spectre. You are just their puppet, aren't you Vakarian? Sent by the Council…You don't really care about Shepard. Hell, you'd shoot her if it meant completing the mission. You are just like every other damn Spectre out there." Wrex headed down the hall, leaving Garrus to run to catch up once again.

"You know nothing Wrex! The Council didn't send me. They won't even help Shepard. They are just going to leave her and let her die." Garrus roared at the krogan. "And since when do _you_ care about Shepard? Since when have you cared about anyone but yourself?"

Wrex stopped dead in his tracks. It wasn't a secret that the krogan some contempt for Garrus. He quickly turned on the turian and grabbed his neck with his free hand. A look of shock and fear flooded Garrus' face.

"I've cared since Shepard helped me get my family armor back. I've cared since Shepard convinced to me destroy the genophage cure on Virmire. You have no idea what that meant." Wrex snarled. Glaring at Garrus for a moment longer, he then released the turian. Garrus rubbed his neck. Wrex stared at him for a long moment.

"Besides Ashley here, I'm the only one who stayed loyal to Shepard. _Me!_" He grunted before turning again. Garrus stood in shock for a moment, taken back by the krogan's last words.

"Shepard's changed you. I understand that Wrex, she did the same for me. Before, yes I would have shot her to complete a mission. But that's not me anymore." He explained in a much calmer voice. Wrex stopped and listened, with his back still turned. "Just because I left, doesn't mean I'm still not loyal to her." Garrus held out his hand. Wrex faced him, working his jaw with residing anger. After a long pause, he took Garrus' hand, squeezing harder on purpose.

"Fine Vakarian, lead the way." Wrex pointed down the hall.

****

The asari, Aleecin, paced the room Shepard was contained in. They were both waiting for Braxen to return with word from the other Shadow Broker agent who contacted the Council.

"Aleecin?" Shepard said quietly. The asari stopped pacing and looked up,

"Yes, Commander?"

"You aren't like the rest of these thugs. Why are you here?" Shepard asked

"Same reason anyone is forced to work for the Broker. He knows my secrets, and is using them as blackmail." She gave the Commander a small smile. "As he knows yours, and is using them to keep you here, captive." Shepard turned her head and stared at the wall. The asari felt like she overstepped some boundary and returned to pacing in silence. After an eternity, the door slid open. With a small smile the turian enter the room.

"Well well well." He said rounding Shepard like a lion to its prey. "Looks like you are unwanted, Spectre. The Council is…what's that human expression? Throwing you to the wolves?" He laughed. Shepard's heart dropped. She had thought that, at the very least, Anderson would be able to help her out. Braxen pulled out a pistol, "Turns out the Shadow Broker thinks you are expendable as well. No one cares about you human."

He grabbed the Commander and turned her, so her back was to him. Forcing her up to her knees, he got her in an execution position. Shepard hung her head and waited. She heard Aleecin, who had retreated to her corner, whimper. The pistol cocked, and Shepard closed her eyes, preparing herself. A shot rang out. Shepard felt no pain. She opened her eyes and saw her shield ripple. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dammit!" The turian cursed. He shot again, three times in rapid succession. The shields finally gave in, and beeped in complaint. Shepard could feel the turian smiling cruelly at her back. He raised his weapon again, and aimed. Shepard slammed her eyes shut again, knowing she had no protection this time.

The shot rang out again. A body fell to the floor in a slump. Aleecin let out a small gasp.

Shepard once again, felt no pain. She opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the blinding light. In her peripheral vision, she saw Braxen on the ground bleeding out of a gun wound in his head. Shepard whipped her head around to the door. Standing there, pistol still held out, was Wrex. Ashley was slung over his shoulder. Behind him, now aiming his gun at the asari, was Garrus.

"Wrex! Garrus?" Shepard blurted when she saw them. Then connecting Garrus' pistol to its target, she ordered. "Stand down Garrus." Aleecin smiled thankfully at the Commander, and ran over to unlock her restraints. Rubbing her wrists, Shepard stood up. She held out a hand to the asari.

"Thank you Commander. Now you must leave before the Shadow Broker gets word of this." Aleecin said hastily.

"What about you?" Shepard asked. The asari thought for a moment.

"I'll tell him the truth. Your team here came in, killed Braxen," She turned her back to the Commander, then got down on her knees. "…and incapacitated me." Shepard caught on. She placed her hand on the asari's shoulder, and muttered a thank you. The asari softly touched the Commander's hand.

Shepard turned and looked at Wrex. He nodded, and handed Ashley over to her. He turned to the asari, and knocked her out with the butt of his pistol. Aleecin dropped to the floor unconscious. Taking Ashley back in his arms, Wrex spoke as softly as a krogan can,

"Let's get the hell out here."

****

Shepard sat in the medical bay. Doctor Chakwas had just finished looking her over, and was now tending to Ashley.

"How is she, Doc?" Shepard asked, looking over to the still unconscious solider.

"She'll be fine, don't worry." Chakwas reassured. "She will suffer a class three concussion, judging by how long she has been out. Nothing modern medicine can treat. I would advise both of you to take it easy for the rest of the day. I'd say tomorrow too…but I know you." Chakwas said with a sly smile, "Also it would be wise to remind Lieutenant Williams who carried her out of that mission, she might be awfully mad at krogan when she wakes up." She said, referring to the krogan who put Ashley in her current state. Shepard nodded, and left for the mess hall.

Garrus sat at one of the tables, mandibles twitching at the 'food' he had in front of him. The door to the med bay opened and Shepard exited. The turian Spectre stood up.

"Commander. How is Williams?" He asked quickly, catching the woman off guard.

"Wha-…Oh. She's fine. Or, well, she will be." Shepard stuttered. Garrus raised an 'eyebrow.'

"You seem shook up Shepard. You okay?" He asked, offering a seat to the Commander. Shepard took it, and Garrus sat across from her, pushing his mushy meal away.

"Yeah…I guess. I don't really know. I thought for sure I was going to die in there. I haven't felt that way…in a long time. And then seeing Ash. I could have lost her too." Shepard looked up at Garrus, who was watching her intently.

"Thank you Garrus, for showing up. I know Wrex is more than capable of holding his own, and Ash's too apparently…but I just don't know if he would have made it in time on his own. "Garrus gave the Commander a small smile.

"Not a problem. I wasn't about to let you die out there, no matter what the Council decided."

"Turns out, they decided against helping me." Shepard said looking away, grumbling. Garrus slammed his fist on the table.

"I knew they wouldn't! After all you've done for them! They would be dead if you…Every_thing_ would be dead without you." He sputtered angrily. Shepard waved him off.

"I'm sure they had an excellent reason, Garrus."

"Commander?" Joker's voice interrupted over the comm. "I've got a transmission. Bet you'll never guess who it's from?" He teased sarcastically.

"Well…jeez. It couldn't be from the Alliance could it?" Shepard taunted back. "Patch it to the comm. room; I'll be up in a sec." She headed towards the stairs, and then looked back at Garrus, who had now started to sniff the slop in his plate. "Garrus?" His head shot up. If turians' blood was red, so would be Garrus' face. "Care to join me? See if it's something you want to tag along. For old times' sake."

He nodded and followed the Commander to the comm. room.

"Commander Shepard?" Admiral Hackett's voice asked. "We heard about the Shadow Broker's trap. An agent contacted us before the Council. We were ready to pay the ransom, but the agent told us the Council was going to 'take care of it.'"

"It is fine Admiral, no harm no foul." Shepard said plainly.

"Right. Anyways, there have been more reports of geth. I thought you might be interested in taking them out for us."

"Sure, Admiral…but you keep giving me these geth missions. I thought Alliance was training soldiers on geth attacks?" Shepard said, referring to the new training the Alliance had put in place after Sovereign was defeated.

"We are, but this is a special case. There seems to be a geth stronghold outside of Amaterasu." Shepard thought for a moment. That location sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. "We are concerned they may be preparing for an attack on the colony."

"Yeah, we will check it out." She agreed. The Admiral thanked her, then disconnected. Garrus looked at Shepard.

"Amaterasu?" He asked. Shepard shrugged, searching her brain for why the location sounded so familiar.

"I've never been…I'm sure I've heard of it though. Joker?" She called across the comm.

"Yeah Commander?"

"Head to Amaterasu." She ordered.

"Aye aye Commander, ETA four hours." He replied. Shepard followed Garrus out of the comm. room. "I'm gunna go check on Ash." Garrus nodded as she headed for the med bay.

Chakwas only gave Shepard a brief glance, before looking back to her computer. Shepard went and sat on the bed next to where Ashley lay. She had been out for almost a full day, and the Commander was beyond worried. The soldier could be crass and blunt at times, but she had a heart hidden under her tough-chick façade. The woman was easily the closest thing Shepard had to family.

_"…They were on Amaterasu, at the time I was assigned to Czarnobóg…Same cluster but a dozen LY away…"_

Ashley's voice played in Shepard's head. Shock set in with the realization. The Williams' family lived in the Amaterasu colony. That's why it sounded so familiar, Shepard had heard so many stories about Ashley's family. She jumped off the medical bed so quickly, she startled Chakwas.

"Dammit Ash, get up!" Shepard commanded the soldier. Ashley didn't respond. Shepard turned to Chakwas. "Can't you do something? Give her something to wake her up?"

"Nothing I have here…You could try slapping her until she gets up but I doubt it will help." Chakwas said with dry sarcasm. Shepard looked at Ashley and contemplated if it was worth losing her hand to slap her awake. Defeated, Shepard leaned back against the bed, silently urging Ashley to wake. Even unconscious the soldier remained stubborn as ever. If it wasn't for the rise and falls of her chest, one would have though Williams wasn't even alive. Chakwas gave the Commander an understanding frown, then picked up her computer and moved into the storage room. Shepard hardly noticed, her eyes never leaving the Lieutenant.

"Come on Ash…You have to get up." She urged again.

"That's an order, marine." Wrex appeared beside Shepard. For someone so large and bulky, the krogan was surprisingly silent. "How is she?" Wrex propped himself on the bed besides Shepard. She shrugged her answer. Wrex just nodded.

"We've got a new mission." Shepard said, filling the silence.

"I heard. We gunna take Vakarian instead of Williams?" Shepard paused for a second. That would be the logical thing to do. Shepard didn't know when Ashley would wake. Her concussion could be worse than they thought, or the krogan could have done serious damage to her nervous system. She could be in a coma for all they knew. Heading straight to the mission and taking Garrus would be smart, but it would feel wrong. If they were going to defend Amaterasu from geth, Ashley should be there. Besides when the mission is over they could swing over and let Ashley spend time with her family.

"No. I'll ask Garrus if he wants to come with us, but either way we are taking Ash." The Commander said firmly.

"So if she doesn't wake…" He started to ask.

"Then we wait." She stopped him.

"Why is this so important, Shepard? It's not like you take her on every damn mission."

"Because…She would kill me if I left her." Wrex stared at the Commander. "Wrex, it's her colony, her _family_. If I had left you on the Normandy and went to go get your family armor myself…"

"I would have killed you. Point made, Shepard." Wrex growled, only sounding slightly threatening. He pulled himself up onto the bed with Shepard.

"It's odd…" He muttered after some time.

"What?"

"First the geth attack your old home…Now they are attacking Williams' home colony." Wrex looked at the Commander to see if she was following. "I dunno Shepard. They are attacking places close to you two."

"Like…hurting the ones we love?"

"Love isn't something very common in other alien species Shepard. At least not in the same way humans feel it. It's a unique way to attack humans. Something, I wouldn't think the geth were smart enough to do." He shrugged.

"Do you think someone is organizing them?" Shepard asked. "I can't imagine who though."

"No krogan would still be trying to serve Saren after he died; besides they wouldn't waste time attacking your families when cutting your throat is so much easier." Shepard felt herself subconsciously moving slightly away from Wrex.

"Maybe Saren had some turian understudy? Or one of Benezia's followers?" Wrex grunted in agreement. They both sat, lost in thoughts for a moment. A soft groan broke the silence.

"Goddammit…Coward got me from behind." Williams muttered, sitting up and holding her head. She looked over to the Commander and Wrex. "Christa! Thank god you are okay!"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Shepard said, "Nice of you to rejoin the living." Ashley looked around to try to grasp the situation.

"What happened? How long was I out?" She asked, realizing she wasn't on Chasca anymore.

"Krogan knocked you out, hit you pretty hard without your helmet on." Wrex said. Seeing Ashley's face contort in anger, and knowing that she was about to curse the alien race, Shepard jumped in.

"You've been out for about twenty hours. Wrex carried you throughout the base until he found me." The anger washed away from the soldiers face. Rubbing the back of her head, feeling the lump from the butt of the krogan's gun, Ashley smiled slightly at Wrex.

"Thanks." He nodded his response. Dismissing himself from the two women, he left the med bay. Shepard moved to sit on the end of Ashley's bed. She debriefed her about the Chasca mission, and the Shadow Broker.

"The Council didn't do shit? After everything we've done for them?!" Ashley roared. "I told you Chris, the second the Council has their backs against the wall, they will abandon us…I just thought it might be different with Captain Anderson…" She trailed off.

"Garrus said he tried, but the other councilors were against him." Shepard defended. She ended up just shrugging off Ashley's comment. "Are you feeling up to another mission? We've received more reports of geth." Ashley rubbed the back of her head again.

"Not sure yet…What's the ETA?"

"About two hours now." Shepard replied looking at a clock on Chakwas' desk.

"Possibly. My head is still throbbing. Where we headed, Commander?" Shepard dropped her gaze.

"Um…well. Amaterasu." She said. What little color was in Ashley's face drained away. After a moment, the shock passed and anger set in.

"I'll be fit for combat Commander." She hopped out of the medical bed. Having not stood for almost a day, she swayed a little on her feet, but kept her composure.

"Good to hear…I would have been disappointed not to see your personal vendetta against the geth, Lieutenant." Ashley saluted, laughing. "Now go eat something soldier. That's an order." Shepard smiled, giving Williams a friendly push out the door.

****

With Williams now fully recovered, the crew of the Normandy had relaxed. Chakwas has happy to finally have her med bay to herself again, and Ashley seemed to have more energy than ever after almost a day of 'rest.' She and Shepard were still in the mess, chatting away like high school girls.

"Hey Chris? Did you ever find out about Liara's sex life?" Ashley asked with an evil grin, referring to a joke she had made when Liara first joined the crew. Shepard laughed.

"Noo…Like I said, Liara didn't really pick up on jokes. Besides her feelings for me were not reciprocated, it would have confused the hell outta her if I asked about that."

"Too bad, I still think it would have been…enlightening." Ashley mock sighed.

"You know who, I'm sure, has an 'enlightening' sex life…Wrex." Shepard quipped. Ashley burst out laughing.

"I can hear you Shepard." Wrex's low growl came from behind. Shepard turned to face him. Wrex had his head low and a scowl on his face, daring the Commander to go on. She just smiled back.

"Oh good, Wrex! Tell us about your sex life." Shepard took his dare. Wrex's eyes narrowed in anger for a moment, but then his features softened.

"What's to tell? I've been a merc for too long, and there aren't many females 'round here." He shrugged, "Besides, there isn't much use in a sex life with the genophage." Ashley raised an eyebrow, a smirk plastered on her face,

"So you krogan just don't 'do it' for the fun of it then?" She asked, following the Commander's lead.

"Fun of it? You obviously have never seen a krogan female." Wrex replied with a small grin. The two girls nearly fell on the floor laughing. Garrus froze when he saw the scene, lifting an eyebrow at the female soldiers.

"I just walked into something terrible, didn't I" He asked. Wrex turned on him.

"What about you Vakarian? Getting' any action since becoming a Spectre?" Garrus knew it was a bad idea to try to eat again. His mandible twitched as he tried to form an answer.

"I…Well, I mean. Training and…There have been…umm." He rambled. The marines were trying to choke down their laughs. Wrex smiled cruelly.

"That about answers it Vakarian." For a moment, Garrus felt like he knew exactly how human 'nerds' felt like when being bullied in high school.

"Commander? We are almost at Amaterasu." Joker interrupted over the comm. Turning serious, Shepard looked at her crew.

"Alright suit up, let's get ready." She said leading the team to the cargo bay and their lockers. On the slow descent in the elevator, Ashley spoke up suddenly.

"Ohh…What about Joker's sex life?" She asked. The Commander turned to look at her. Shepard looked to the ceiling as she thought about it. A smile breaking across her face,

"That's just cruel." She said with a small laugh.

"Cruel?" Wrex asked. "Ten to one, he gets more tail than any of us." The team started laughing, but froze dead-silent when the Normandy's comm. opened and Joker's voice spoke.

"You have _no_ idea."

* * *

The end bit was something I wondered myself after playing the game through again. I somehow missed that convo with Ash the first time. Anyways, please review:) -amante


	5. Chapter 5

So sorry for the long update!!! I got bumped back up to full time at work, plus I had one last HUGE project to do for school. But good news! I have finished my classes, and my muses have finally decided what we are going to do with this story. As a thank you for waiting patiently, my dear readers, I made this chapter longer than my others. So enjoy!

Girl Anachronism

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Mass Effect. The original storyline, places, and characters are property of Bioware. Also the title Girl Anachronism is a song by the same name by the Dresden Dolls.

* * *

Dawn broke on the quiet colony of Amaterasu. Like any small town on Earth, everyone knew everyone else and their business. The population barely broke a few thousand. An area not known for anything special, its beauty lies in its simplicity. Plain houses lined the empty streets. Sprawling gardens fed the families and a small park provided a lone source of entertainment. Crime rates were nonexistent, and most of the younger residents complained of boredom. Unbeknownst to the colonists, a terrible darkness loomed over their sleepy homes.

****

Only a desk lamp lit the steel grey cabin of the Fifth Fleet's flagship. Steven Hackett held his forehead in his rough hand. He was awaiting any news from the colony Amaterasu. He had just received intel saying the geth had moved, in large groups. He knew they were going to attack the town, but there was nothing more he could to do to prevent it. All he had left to do was wait. He had sent his best, the galaxy's best, solider; it was just a matter of if she could get there in time. He had faith in the Spectre; she had managed to resolve a lot of situations with minimal casualties. Missions like retrieving Major Kyle, Hackett thought for sure they would end in a bloodbath, but somehow the young woman reported not even having to draw her weapon.

He stood and looked out the window into the dark space. Hackett was one of the few in the entire galaxy who knew who Christa Shepard really was. He was the one that greeted the young girl when she arrived almost 150 years late from her mission.

****

_"Admiral? We have an unidentified ship trying to land." The Alliance air traffic controller reported to Hackett. He had come to Earth for the week to discuss an increase in military funding with President Huerta. Hackett had been making rounds at nearby Alliance posts, to meet the officers there. Intrigued by the anonymous ship, he took control of the transmission. _

_"This is Admiral Hackett, of the Alliance Navy. State your name and business on Earth." He said in a cool and official voice. The pilot of the ship seemed obviously shaken and baffled._

_"Alliance Navy? I've never heard of you. I'm Flight Commander Joleen Baker of the Omaha, sir." The female responded. The traffic controller gave the transmitter a dubious look._

_"Joleen Baker? Sir it must be a hoax." He said._

_"Flight Commander? Who do you serve Miss Baker?" Hackett asked._

_"NASA?" She phrased it as if it should have been obvious. She was confused why anyone coming from outer space would be questioned on who they serve. All American astronauts come from one place. _

_"This is unbelievable." The traffic controller shook his head. Hackett glared at him to be silent._

_"Miss Baker, you have permission to land, but I will be there when you do. If you cannot prove your identity then we will arrest you." He cut the transmission and left for the landing strip._

_Hackett stood, with a few Alliance marines in tow, just outside of the Omaha. The door unlatched and swung open, not hydraulically slid open like every other door in the galaxy. The pilot stepped out and Hackett was amazed at how young she was. Eying his various rank insignia the pilot saluted. He looked at her, studying her features. It was obvious from the various texts and vids that housed the young girl's likeness, that this was in fact the long lost Joleen Baker._

_"You're late, Commander." He said plainly. She looked almost ashamed, giving the Admiral a small smile._

_"Late? Sir, I have no idea what's going on." The young girl said, with an air of coolness. Hackett took a deep breath._

_"Miss Baker, are you aware of the current date?" She gave in a suspicious look._

_"Well I'd like to say June 17__th__, 2034…but I'm just going to assume, no?" Hackett shook his head._

_"August 24__th__, 2181." Baker's jaw hung open. She blew a strand of hair out of her face. He blue-green eyes became even more defined as they reddened with restrained tears. The twenty-year-old bit her lip as she processed this new information. She rested her forehand in her hand and asked, _

_"Now what?" _

****

Hackett had taken the pilot to his Earth home, to meet President Huerta, and to Alliance training facilities. The President decided to cover-up the return of Baker. The Omaha was taken by an Alliance research team to discover what had happened. Joleen Baker was ordered to have facial reconstruction and to take a new identity. Hackett stayed with Baker throughout the process, watching her change from a twenty year old to a twenty-seven year old. She kept her eye color the same though, and Hackett could see the old Joleen through them. She had chosen a new name, Christa Shepard. She said it was in honor of two astronauts from her home state of New Hampshire, Christa McAuliffe and Alan Shepard.

Hackett trained Shepard with sniper rifles and pistols. She learned quickly, and became beyond proficient with the weapons in a matter of months. Hackett ordered her a specialized omni-tool, and taught her how to use it in combat. With her ancient engineering knowledge and new-found skills, Shepard had become an Infiltrator unlike any the Alliance had ever seen. Hackett created a pre-service history, placing Shepard in the colony of Mindoir at the time of the batarian massacre and at Elysium against the slavers. Shepard was allowed to keep her rank of Commander; With the President's approval, she was made an N7, which allowed Hackett to essentially keep her at his side. In 2182, just a year after she landed, Hackett was sending Shepard on missions. She had extraordinary leadership skills, and a stubborn will to live. Throughout the year she had proven herself worthy of her rank. Then, the Eden Prime mission came. Captain Anderson was given the Normandy, and was allowed to handpick his crew. He easily chose Shepard, and Hackett had no choice but to let her over. From then it escaladed. Hackett would have never guessed that the young girl, who claimed her exceptional skill was from playing too many video games as a kid, would become a Spectre, or stop a rogue one, or save the galaxy.

Hackett had never had children, never found love outside of the Alliance. His work was his love, his passion, his child. But with the young Commander, Hackett knew what being a father was like. He beamed with pride when he heard Shepard had become a Spectre and bragged to others about how _his_ Commander stopped Saren and the Reapers. And just like any father, he worried. He had still not heard anything from Amaterasu. He had no idea if Shepard had reached the colony, or engaged the geth, or if she was KIA. He knew he was being irrational, but unless he knew something his mind would race with possibilities.

"Admiral?" A voice came over the comm. "The Normandy has reached Amaterasu. We gave not received the sitrep though." The voice informed then disconnected. The news hardly stopped the Admiral's rapid worries, but at least he could stop thinking batarians enslaved the Normandy crew in space.

****

The Mako hit dirt, just outside of the geth outpost coordinates. Garrus manned the turret and prepared to fire as the base came into view. Shepard's steely eyes swept the area around the base, vigilant for geth guardsmen. Wrex, who was cramped in the little space left in the Mako, squinted angrily.

"No one's home." He grumbled. The base was unguarded. Shepard kept her eyes checking the area for a surprise attack.

"Alright, let's go in a sweep the place… Find out where these bastards went." Shepard ordered as she parked the Mako. Everyone piled out and readied their weapons. The Commander led the group into the base. The first room was completely bare. Moving forward, the hydraulic doors slid open revealing another empty room. No crates, no weapon lockers, nothing. Shepard was becoming increasingly paranoid. She grip tight on her pistol, she pressed on to the last rooms. The second set of doors opened to reveal the hall with opposing rooms, similar to every other base. Heading into the left room, the door on the other side of the hall opened. Shepard whipped out her pistol, preparing for the surprise attack. Ashley and Wrex followed suit, aiming their assault rifle and shotgun respectively. At the other end of the hall, Garrus' beady eyes grew in fear as he stared down three barrels. He had turned to poke around the other room and activated the door. Shepard rolled her eyes and returned her weapon. Garrus gave a small apologetic shrug and fell in line.

After checking the whole base, they found nothing. Wrex snorted,

"Told you no one was home." Shepard glared at Wrex. While he was right, something was still strange. The base wasn't just empty, it was devoid. There was not a single thing in the base. Ashley was pacing.

"Those bastards have to be somewhere! Maybe this is just a decoy, and there is another base somewhere else, like on another planet." She said, her voice filled with desperate hope.

"Or the geth have moved elsewhere, and they cleaned this place out to hide their tracks." Garrus quipped. Ashley nodded, deciding that idea sounded good for her home colony as well.

"Or it's a distraction." Wrex said somberly. Shepard caught his red eyes, and read his mind.

"Get to the Mako… Now!" She ordered. Ashley cursed as she took off ahead of everyone to the vehicle.

Shepard took the driver's seat and slammed the controls forward. The Mako kicked up a cloud of dirt before ripping across the valley. Ashley moved Garrus out of the gunner's seat, and took control of the turret, snarling ahead. The vehicle started to climb up a mountain side without losing speed. The horizon over the peak had a fiery glow. Ominous black clouds cut through the sky. As the Mako reached the top, and leveled out on the plateau, the colony came into view.

A huge geth dropship lingered above the town. Shepard heard Ashley actually growl in anger, and fired a cannon blast. The blue blaze hit the side of the ship and sent a ripple through the shield. The ship evaded the next blast and flew out of sight. The Mako roared down the empty streets of the outlying suburbs. A few people peeked out of their windows to watch the vehicle pass by. An Armature stood in the middle of the road, turning its sights on the oncoming tank. Shepard gritted her teeth and pushed the Mako faster. Ashley loaded the Armature with bullets, knocking out its shields. The Mako crashed into the geth, taking it out at the legs. It rolled over the roof of the vehicle and landed, unmoving, behind them. Geth troopers that were patrolling the street opened fire on the Mako.

Shepard turned hard on a small road. Ashley picked off the pursuing geth as they turned down another road. Suddenly, the Commander slammed the brakes, forcing the Mako to fishtail as it tried to stop so quickly.

"Garrus, Wrex. You two get out there and clear out what you can. Your guns are no use to me stuck in here." Garrus gave a small nod and Wrex smiled madly, like he just won the lottery. The two aliens armed their weapons and ran towards the main street. Shepard whipped the Mako around and headed the back where they came from.

"Skipper wait! Turn here!" Ashley yelled out. Again, Shepard slammed the brakes. She eyed the straight road ahead of her.

"Where?" She asked confused. Ashley bent down from the gunner's seat and pointed to some bushes just off the road.

"There is an old power line trail there. We should be able to flank the geth unnoticed from it." Shepard nodded and drove the Mako through the bushes. The trail was slightly overgrown and rough, but nothing the Mako couldn't handle. The trail connected to the colony's power line, which put the soldiers right behind the geth. Distracted by Garrus and Wrex, the geth were unaware of the danger behind. Ashley fired the cannon at a large cluster of geth. In a huge blue blast, troopers flew like ragdolls in all directions. Williams laughed sadistically as she launched another blast.

Dozens of oozing geth bodies littered the street. A few people had come out of their houses to see if the enemy had left, and to assess the damage. The two marines exited the Mako, joining their teammates.

"All clear Commander. It doesn't seem like the geth got very far." Garrus reported. They all stood in the middle of the main street, watching the colonist wearily move about their town. Ashley's eyes darted around, checking every person with a worried eye. She muttered the name of everyone as she saw them. Finally one colonist came up to the group.

"Tha-Thank you all. We… we don't know what would have happened if you…" The man trailed off. He let his head droop in thought. Ashley put her hand on the man's shoulder. He looked up and his face brightened.

"Ashley! Oh this is wonderful." The man exclaimed. A few nearby people heard him and came over to greet the Lieutenant. They thanked her profusely, and all told stories of what they heard about her accomplishments. Ashley beamed at the sudden attention. A teenage girl pushed her way through the crowd to the marines.

"Sarah!" Ashley yelled in surprise. She threw her arms around the younger girl. Sarah buried her head into her sister's chest. After a long moment she pulled away, and two other women pushed away from the crowd. One appeared only a few years older than Sarah. Shepard assumed that she must be Lynn. After a moment of more hugs, the four women stood, looking at the rest of the crew. Ashley smiled fondly at them, and then looked to Shepard. No introductions were needed. All of the Williams women looked alike, dark hair and dark eyes. Mrs. Williams held her hand out to Shepard.

"Thank you." The words were small and simple, but the look in her eyes spoke volumes. Thank you for saving the colony, the galaxy, thank you for saving Ashley on Eden Prime, for taking her aboard the Normandy, for getting her promoted to lieutenant, for choosing _her_ on Virmire. The two women held hands for a moment, and then Mrs. Williams pulled Shepard into a hug. The woman was easily into her fifties, and the top of her head barely reached Shepard's eyes. Shepard thought that it should be odd that Ashley's mother, whom she never met, was embracing her like this, but it wasn't. Mrs. Williams had a hug that would warm even Wrex's heart. It had been years since Shepard lost her parents and now, wrapped in a mother's arms, she felt the pain she had pushed away. Her lip quivered and she had to bite down hard to force the rising lump in her throat to stay down. As Mrs. Williams released her hold on the Commander, she paused for a moment to look upon the solider. She beamed with pride that only a mother, and a military wife, could have.

Shepard caught Ashley's eye briefly. The Lieutenant rolled her eyes and shrugged at her mother's actions, then turned to keep an eye on her. Mrs. Williams had moved down to the other two members of the crew. Garrus and Wrex looked at each other awkwardly. Mrs. Williams stood in front of Wrex, still beaming. Wrex was looking back as if Mrs. Williams had a contagious fungus growing off her face.

"You are the one who protected Ashley when Commander Shepard was captured." She stated. Wrex nodded slightly. In a flurry of motion, the woman had thrown herself onto the Krogan. Her arms barely reached the back of Wrex's thick body, and she was dwarfed by his size. The three crewmates burst into laughter, Ashley actually fell to the ground holding her sides. Never before had Wrex ever looked so shocked and taken aback. His eye twitched as he stared down at the woman. His arms hung in midair, frozen. The smaller human had been too quick for the Krogan to react and actions of affection were not well understood, or receipted, by the warrior species. Maybe Mrs. Williams' hugs were not enough to warm Wrex's heart, but she damn-near stopped it.

****

Shepard paced the bridge of the Normandy. She had given Ashley time to spend with her family, and the Normandy had landed just outside of the town. Shepard was happy to give the solider a little leave but she was growing impatient.

"Commander? Are you pacing just behind me to make me jealous?" Joker quipped suddenly. He hadn't turned around, but the dark consoles provided enough reflect for him to see Shepard perfectly. She sighed and sat in the co-pilot seat. Joker watched her slump into the seat.

"Okay, I'll bite. What's wrong?" He asked. Shepard opened her mouth to talk, but no words formed. After a deep breath, she told the truth.

"I have no idea." She didn't meet Joker's eyes, instead choosing to look out the windows, which didn't feature deep space for once. They sat in silence for a long moment. Shepard was trying to process everything. Suddenly the console in front of Joker lit up and beeped.

"What the… This is weird, Commander." He stated his face contorted at the screen. "It's message for you, but I can't detect any signatures off of it. Care for some spam?" He smirked at her. She shrugged

"Patch it through."

Joker moved his hands along the controls. A voice spoke out.

"Commander Shepard." A scrambled voice drawled. It sounded as if four voices were talking at the same time. The transmission must have been using a voice changer. "So good to finally talk to you."

"I'm not sure I can say the same. You have me at a disadvantage…" She trailed. The voice scoffed.

"My identity is not essential. My mission is. You've done some incredible things Shepard, haven't you? Survived Mindoir, saved Elysium, stopped a rogue Spectre, destroyed a Reaper." The voice listed. "Everyone in the galaxy knows you, Spectre. Or…do they?" He asked with a confidence clear in the garbled voice. Shepard felt a sudden burst of anger.

"What the hell does that mean?" She growled. The voice laughed menacingly. Joker stared at Shepard with one eyebrow raised.

"You know what it means _Shepard_. Did you think you could destroy Sovereign and that would be it? The end?"

"What are you another Reaper?" She asked. Again the voice laughed.

"No, merely a harbinger for them, a leader for their army. But the Reapers, they don't want to return yet. After Sovereign, they realized organics would fight back." The voice roared. "'The galaxy needs a hero', they said. If that same hero was not who everyone thought, would they worship you? Still believe in you? You give organics hope, but it's all a lie. I know who you are Commander, and I plan to make the galaxy know." With that the transmission cut out. The console screen winked out to black. Joker sat with a dumb expression on his face, unable to say a word. Shepard got up and headed out of the bridge.

"Joker, get Admiral Hackett. Patch it to the comm. room." She barked back at the pilot.

The hydraulic door hissed open and Shepard stormed into the room. The intercom beeped to life.

"Commander. I just received word that your mission on Amaterasu was a success." Hackett said in a happy voice.

"Yes sir. No civilian causalities, minimal damage to the colony, and Lieutenant Williams is visiting with her family as we speak. We have a bigger issue, I'm afraid." She rushed through the debriefing. The Admiral made an unintelligible noise.

"Like what, Shepard?" He asked slowly.

"An anonymous transmission we just received. It seems like someone is after me." Shepard said. Hackett grumbled over the intercom.

"I was worried you might say that. Just hours ago the Council informed us that it was not the Shadow Broker who organized your capture. The transmission they received had no signature, completely untraceable. That's why they did not send help for you. They believed it could be a trap." The Admiral explained. Shepard nodded slowly, everything making sense now.

"I'll have to let Garrus know. If it was a trap, he would have rushed right into it." Shepard thought out loud. "The transmission we received was untraceable too." She said to Hackett this time.

"So this person? Alien?" Hackett asked.

"Not sure sir, they were using a voice changer." Shepard said.

"So someone wants to kill you." He restarted. Shepard gave a small chuckle.

"Sir, I'm sure many people want to kill me." She said sarcastically. She continued in a softer voice. "Whoever this is, they want to do more than just get rid of me. They want to expose me, sir."

Hackett signed deeply. He knew Shepard hated having to hide her past, hated being a government cover-up, but mostly she hated lying to her friends. Her crew had become her friends, family even, Ashley, Wrex, Garrus, and everyone else. Every day she had to lie to them. Her past, her accomplishments, her rank. All lies. Even her face and her name. Lies. Hackett took a long breath.

"Shepard. I think you should maybe tell a _few_ people about…yourself." He said cautiously. Shepard felt a smile break across her face.

"I think it would be beneficial for you to tell them rather than some lunatic enemy." He reasoned, "Considering the situation, you must realize that the truth can ruin you. So don't tell anyone you wouldn't entrust with your life."

Hackett's warning caused the Commander's smile to disappear. Her very life was being threatened with the information of her true past. This enemy wanted to tell the galaxy her secret. Everyone would know her lie; everyone would know she was a fake. She did not lose her entire family and friends on Mindoir. She never saved anyone on Elysium. She hardly deserved her rank as an N7, never mind a Spectre. The galaxy would turn on her if they knew, forget about her. Her enemy did not just want her dead; they wanted to strip everything from her.

A weight of fear sat on her heart. Shepard knew the Admiral was right. Maybe if Shepard told her crew first, they would not abandon her. They would see passed the lies, and stand by her side.

"Just be careful… Joleen." Hackett said softly. Then the comm. beeped, announcing the Admiral had disconnected. The Commander left the room and returned to the bridge. She had no idea what she was going to say to anyone. Joker looked up at her as she entered the cockpit.

"Commander." He greeted, "Our big sister has returned from her family time." He informed with a small smile. Shepard nodded absently. Joker's smile faded at the Commander's blank stare.

"Shepard… I was listening to you and the Admiral. Look, I don't know what's going on here, but I'm behind you no matter what." Shepard looked down. She gave Joker a small, light smack on his cheek.

"That's for eavesdropping." She then dipped down and kissed him lightly on the same cheek, "Thank you Joker. You have no idea how much that means to me. I'll explain everything to you later."

Shepard left the cockpit and headed straight for her quarters. She needed a quiet moment to think, to figure out her next move. She threw herself onto her bed in a heap. Lying still, she stared at the ceiling and focused on slowing her breathing. After a long while, the silence was broken by the hydraulic hiss of the door, informing Shepard that she had a visitor. A weight pulled down at the end of the bed. The bottom of Shepard's vision was clouded by the darkness of Ashley's black hair.

"You know… The only good part about my family being blacklisted in the Alliance is I've never had to deal with paper work." Ashley joked. Shepard rolled her head to her desk. It was covered in stacks of mission reports and various files. She sneered at the work before returning her gaze back to the metal ceiling.

"What can I do for you, Williams?" Shepard asked after another moment of silence. Ashley flinched a little at the sudden disruption.

"Nothing actually, I came to check on you." She said softly, "Joker said you guys got a weird transmission…" She trailed, waiting for Shepard to explain. When she didn't, Ashley continued to poke.

"You had to talk to the Admiral? What's going on Skipper?" She asked. Shepard took a long, deep breath.

"Ash…" She started. Her confidence fell suddenly. "Why is Joleen Baker your role model?" She asked, instead.

"Hey, no fair! I asked you first." Ashley quipped.

"And I'll answer, just tell me this first." She explained, then added, "That's an order, marine." Ashley gave a mock pout, but answered anyways.

"I told you before, she was this young girl that got out there and did something way beyond her time." Ashley paused for a moment. She gave a small sigh, "And, her family has done so much for modern space travel. Her ship, the Omaha. The design for that tin can has given way to basically every development in ships. The Omaha and four other prototype ships, the Utah, Gold, Juno, and Sword, were the model for every single Alliance or human ship out there." She said. Shepard lifted herself onto her elbows and gave Ashley her full attention. She muttered the names of the prototypes under her breath.

"The beaches of Normandy?" She thought out loud. Ashley nodded.

"And those ships were the human part of the design for all of this." She said, opening her arms to present the Normandy. "The Bakers are a household name… For all the right reasons." She added, with a slight bitter tone. She looked over to the Commander, "Well? You said you would answer my question. What's going on Christa?" She asked again, this time with more conviction.

Shepard took another deep breath.

"Someone is after me Ash. They want me to pay for killing Sovereign and they want me out of the way for the Reapers to return." She started. Ashley scoffed.

"Big deal, someone wants to kill us all the time." She said sarcastically. Shepard shook her head.

"This is different." She stopped. She sat completely up, moving herself right beside her Lieutenant. "Ash, I'm not- I'm not who you think I am." Her head dropped with the confession. Confusion enveloped the soldier's face. Shepard continued with her head still hung low.

"I'm not what anyone thinks." She brought her head up and locked eyes with Ashley.

"I'm Joleen Baker." She said simply. The confusion left Ashley's face, and a flicker of rage filled it.

"Are you making fun of me Commander?" She growled.

"No! Ash, I'm not kidding!" She backpedalled.

"No? Well how is that possible?" Ashley asked, a bite of anger still clear, "Joleen Baker disappeared well over a century ago." Shepard hesitated before speaking again.

"Ash, do you know any of the time-travel theories?" The question caught the Lieutenant off guard.

"What? Yeah, sure. I've heard the ones about accelerating the Mass Relays or using natural wormholes, uncontrolled ones. Some sort of super-FTL flight that would propel a ship through time." She rambled blankly, waiting for Shepard's explanation.

"A century and a half ago, I hit a wormhole." The Commander started, with more confidence this time, "The Omaha was strong enough to survive the power of it, but I lost control. I was knocked out cold. By the time I came to, I had no idea what had happened. All I knew was something had gone wrong, so I headed back to Earth. The air controller wouldn't let me land; they thought I was some trickster or a hoax. Admiral Hackett was the one who gave me permission to land, but told me he was coming to arrest me. When I landed, he was there with half a platoon." Ashley's jaw was slowly dropping as Shepard talked.

"I guess you are right about the household name thing. Most of the soldiers recognized me. The Omaha was seized and taken for research. President Huerta ordered me to change my identity. My mission became a government cover-up. I had a facial reconstruction and Hackett constructed me with a past. Suddenly, I became this." She said looking down upon herself, "I went from Flight Commander Joleen Baker of NASA, to Commander Christa Shepard of the Alliance Military. Hackett trained me, himself, and promoted me to the N7's. His plan was to keep me by his side, let me do only missions he wanted. That was messed up when Captain Anderson requested me for the Eden Prime team. Hackett couldn't say no… After all, it was just little ol' Eden Prime, nothing was supposed to happen. Now some maniac is trying to expose me to the galaxy. He's going to try to turn everyone against me." The Commander's face turned to one of disgust. She spat her last words,

"I'm just a big mistake."

Ashley sat still for a long moment, slowly absorbing this information. Shepard couldn't look up to face her friend. She closed her eyes and waited for the onslaught of William's rage. But it never came. Instead a warm hand rested on Shepard's knee. Mostly out of confusion, Shepard looked up. Her blue-green eyes locked with Ashley's chocolate brown ones.

"Shep- Commander… You are not a mistake. Eden Prime happened. Feros, Noveria, Therum, _Virmire_. All of that happened. You defeated Saren. _You _destroyed Sovereign. Without you, there would be nothing. You are not a mistake. God does not make mistakes. This was your fate. You are supposed to be here." With that Ashley stood up and left the Commander's quarters. She made her way to the ship's elevator without so much as looking up. She pinched the bridge of her nose hard, in hopes of stemming the headache that was forming. She got off the elevator and headed straight for her work station. Wrex looked up and watched the soldier, who seemed lost in a daze.

"Williams." He spoke out. Ashley froze at the sound of her name, suddenly taken out of her thoughts. Wrex studied her face. "You look like you just saw a nathak pack." He commented. Ashley rolled her eyes and kept moving to her station. She grabbed the first rifle she saw and immediately started dissembling it. A piece got stuck and would not dislodge itself from the gun. Ashley fumbled with the piece, trying to force it out. In a sudden fit of rage and frustration, she tossed the weapon against the wall. Wrex walked over and took the rifle, taking apart the piece with little ease. Ashley's rage turned on the krogan.

"Fine. If you are so damn good, why don't you take care of the weapons?" For a brief moment, Ashley felt childish for throwing a fit, but the moment passed and she didn't care. Wrex looked at the table of guns with a mild look of distaste.

"No thanks." He put the gun down and turned back to Williams, "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem?" Ashley gave a small sarcastic laugh, "I have no problem. I just found out that the woman we have following blindly around the galaxy is an impostor." She barked.

"So she told you." Understanding filled Wrex, while Ashley only got angrier.

"You already knew?!" She growled.

"Don't get your hard suit in a twist. The Shadow Broker informed me when I joined Shepard." He explained. This quelled the fire of Ashley's wrath, but Wrex could still sense the warmth of the residing anger. "What are you so upset about anyways?"

"She lied Wrex!" Ashley burst out again, "She lied about Mindoir, Elysium, her family, her life, everything. How do we know who she truly is? How do we trust her?" She asked sincerely. Wrex looked taken back by the soldier's concern.

"How do you trust her?" He repeated, his deep voice on the verge of a growl, "That human has killed thousands of geth, stopped a rogue Spectre, killed a Reaper, saved the galaxy, and you are concerned with who she is? She's a fighter, a warrior, and a leader." Ashley's eyes dropped as she physically prepared her body for Wrex's growing fury. He laughed,

"How do you trust her, Williams? You realize without her, your home colony would be in ruins right now?" He asked, "She could have left you on Virmire. You were right next to the nuke; you wouldn't even be dust on the ground. She saved your life, Ashley…And you are asking how you can trust her? Just because you know her real name now, you know who she _was_. Who she _is_ hasn't changed." He finished. Ashley stood there, staring blankly at Wrex. He shook his head, then walked back to his normal place.

Ashley stared down at the table of weapons again, this time with much less ambition to work. She knew Wrex was right, but she still felt betrayed inside. The Commander wasn't feeling any better. She had made her way back to the bridge and threw herself in the co-pilot's seat. Joker was startled by her sudden appearance.

"Hey Commander. Got a taste of the Joker and had to come running back for more?" He quipped, referring to the earlier kiss. Shepard smiled and rolled her eyes at the pilot. He shrugged, "Gotta try, don't I? I got a kiss from the galaxy's sexiest Leatherneck." Shepard laughed,

"That more than most can say. You are a lucky man indeed Joker." She settled back in the chair. Joker's smile dropped,

"Ash didn't handle your conversation well?" The question surprised Shepard. Her somber mood returned.

"How'd you guess?" He chuckled.

"Didn't have to." He brought up the on-board camera view of the Mako bay. Ashley had slumped down to the ground, leaning her back against her table. "Her and Wrex had an argument about you. Something about trusting you now. Wrex was the one in your corner though, Shepard." He informed looking at Shepard expectantly. He hadn't forgotten that she promised to explain everything, and he had been kind enough not to listen in to conversation with Ashley. Shepard rubbed her weary eyes.

"Mind if I give you the short story?" She asked, he shrugged and shook his head.

"I'm Joleen Baker, the pilot that flew the Omaha. I hit a wormhole; it sent me a hundred and fifty years into the future. President Huerta made me change my identity, Hackett took me under his wing, and Anderson took me to Eden Prime. From there you know the rest." Joker kept his soft brown eyes on the Commander. A look of thought crossed his face and then he turned back to the ship's console, chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"You made that flight when you were twenty. I'm totally robbing the cradle with that kiss." He flashed one of his classic sarcastic smiles. Shepard lightly punched the helmsmen.

"I'm glad you can joke about this." She said, sighing with relief. He just shrugged.

"I told you Commander, I'm behind you no matter what." He repeated her earlier statement. Shepard smiled with a renewed gratitude.

"I'm glad you are." She said honestly. Then added, "I'd hate to lose my chauffeur."

* * *

Alright, hope that made up for the long wait. PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks! :) -amante


	6. Chapter 6

Another chapter for everyone, a quicker update than my last. I've actually been done with this chapter for a couple days, I was just hoping for some reviews before I uploaded this and I've been busy with work. Anyways, enjoy!

Girl Anachronism

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Mass Effect. The original storyline, places, and characters are property of Bioware. Also the title Girl Anachronism is a song by the same name by the Dresden Dolls.

* * *

The orange glow of the Normandy's consoles dimly lit the bridge. Auto-pilot was on, and Joker had sat back and relaxed, checking on the ship every so often for sudden failures. The cockpit had long been quiet since Shepard had dozed off in the co-pilot's seat. After revealing her true identity, the Commander had been prepared for the classic Williams rage. What she wasn't prepared for, was the comfort that Ashley had given, reassuring her skipper that she was not a mistake, and then storming off to privately rage. Shepard had resigned to the cockpit, allowing Joker's sarcasm and dubious tales to raise her spirits. Joker had so easily accepted the Commander's true self. He actually found pride in the fact that his CO was once a pilot herself, not to mention the record-breaking youngest pilot ever. He had distracted Shepard from her worries by teaching her the advanced controls of the Normandy, even letting her fly the ship for a short time. She was a quick-learner and did well but the lesson, coupled with her concern had tired her. Now she slept softly, curled tightly in the seat.

Joker hit a command into the console and brought up the view from the Mako bay camera. Ashley had returned to her duties, but her stance spoke volumes. The pilot was well-versed in subtle body language. People rarely bothered him in the bridge, so he often used the on-board computers to keep tabs on the crew. Admittedly, he sometimes felt like a creep, accidentally and intentionally eavesdropping on private conversations. But, even when the audio was turned off, he could still understand what was going on. Because of this, Joker knew a lot about the crew without actually talking to them. Ashley's stance, broad-shouldered and tense, said that she was still angry. Often though, she would drop her shoulders and look towards the ceiling. Joker knew she was having an internal argument and was probably looking up to God for some help.

"Aww man Ash." Shepard's soft whisper came from Joker's right. He panicked and went to turn off the screen, but the Commander grabbed his hand to stop him. Her eyes were fixated on Ashley. Anyone with eyes and ears would have know that Williams was upset, and Joker may have understood that she was fighting with herself, but only Shepard knew the young marine well enough to know what that battle sounded like.

Ashley was not one to trust easily. Many people misunderstood this about her. They thought Williams to be a bitch and racist. It wasn't surprising that she often hid her religious beliefs, otherwise people would add zealot to their list of insults. But the Lieutenant, in truth, was none of those things. Williams had built a wall of brick and metal around her, a new layer was constructed as more events threatened to hurt her. After her father's death, the first wall was build. Williams was a warrior, and believed pain was weakness. Losing someone so incredibly close and dear to her had left an unimaginable pain, one she never wanted to feel again. So she built a wall, a wall that separated her from getting close to anyone.

After joining the Alliance and realizing she was never going to make it passed the crap ground assignments or the Gunnery Chief rank, another wall was assembled. A wall, whose foundation was already thick from the events of Shanxi and her grandfather's surrender, a wall of mistrust. This wall was the one most misinterpreted, including Shepard herself at first. Ashley did not simply mistrust aliens because of Shanxi, she mistrusted everyone. Most Alliance personnel treated a Williams like a second-class citizen. Commander Shepard had been the first to treat Ashley with respect.

After many long conversations in the Mako bay, Shepard had broken through the first wall. She was the first person, barring family, which Ashley felt she could trust. Shepard had even gone so far as comment on how she would have done the same as General Williams, calling him a paragon. With her first wall broken, Ashley was forced to reconsider many things. She warmed up to the non-humans aboard the Normandy and let herself trust others in the battlefield. But her trust in Shepard was different. Without realizing, Ashley had let Shepard through her second wall, she had let the Commander become more than just her CO, she was her friend, her sister-in-arms. After Virmire, both girls were struggling with the loss of Kaidan. The two had spent many hours in the Commander's private quarters discussing the mission. They ran over a thousand different battle strategies, to see if there had been any way to have saved the LT, but both came up empty. In a desperate moment, Ashley had lost herself,

"_Why me?" Ashley whispered softly. Shepard raised an eyebrow at her,_

"_What's that Chief?" She asked. Ashley raised her head, meeting the Commander's eyes. Her breathing had quickened, and a fire was visibly brewing behind the dark eyes._

"_Why the HELL did you take me?!" She yelled, standing up and moving toward the other woman. Shepard glanced nervously at the door, hoping the room was soundproof. "Alenko was the superior officer! If you had just followed protocol-"_

"_You'd be dead Ash!" She interrupted, but this only flared the marine's rage more._

"_Alenko IS dead, Commander! Because of me!" She growled. _

"_I made the order Williams, not you." Shepard yelled back, raising her voice to simply be heard over Ashley's wrath. _

"_Then why ME?" She asked again. Shepard opened her mouth to answer, but words never formed. She closed her mouth and bit her lip. Ashley waited, still breathing heavily._

"_Ash…" She looked up, her ocean-colored eyes pleading. Ashley breathing slowed, and she sat down, suddenly weary. _

"_Just why Commander?" She begged, tears brimming her eyes. _

"_Because… I need you Ashley." Shepard choked, her own tears caught in her throat, "I __**was**__ following protocol Ash. Kaidan may have been a higher ranking officer, but Chief, you are the superior soldier. I can't beat Saren without you. I can't beat Sovereign without you. I need you Ash. Not just as a soldier, but as my friend, my sister. You are the closest thing I've got to a family now, and I can't lose that. Not again." _

At that point, both girls promptly lost control of the tears that had been threatening to fall. They both cried for the first time in years. They cried for Kaidan. They cried for the salarians. They cried for their lost parents. They cried for every soldier or civilian they lost along the way. They cried for each other. Shepard thought of this moment now, as she watched Ashley struggle with her internal battle.

"I need to talk to her." Joker simply nodded, knowing the Commander could have just as well been going to face Saren again.

****

Ashley looked back down at her table of rifles. Shepard's Spectre-grade pistol sat directly in the middle. A wicked thought of sabotaging the weapon crossed the woman's mind. _"She trusts me with her weapon, wouldn't it just be ironic if I broke that trust too." _Her internal devil cackled. She picked the gun up with a sneer, but after closer inspection, the evil glare fell. She had never noticed the deep scratch that ran along the pistol. She ran her thumb along it. A flash overtook her mind as she suddenly realized where the damage had come from. Saren's skeletal Husk had just knocked down Ashley and Wrex. He brandished his nearly foot long talons menacingly, and loomed over the Commander. With his left claw, he swiped down at Shepard, cutting through her armor and down her arm.

Shepard had been quick enough to move back and dodge the majority of the attack, but a long scar starting at her wrist and ending off her hand reminded her that she hadn't been fast enough. The weapon now held the continuation of that scar. She put down the weapon. Rather than sabotaging the pistol, Ashley just wanted it to disappear. It reminded her of the Battle of the Citadel, which reminded her of how she almost lost Shepard. It reminded her of the fear that gripped her as a rogue piece of Sovereign crashed through the Tower. It reminded her how Shepard pushed her away, only to disappear when the metal made landfall. It reminded her of the tense minutes that seemed like eons, as Ashley believed her Commander to be dead.

Ashley shook the thought from her head, but God would not let her off that easily.

"Ash?" A soft voice asked from behind. Ashley whipped around and saw Shepard standing there. Before she could think about it, Ashley's eyes dropped to Shepard's hand, where the dull pink scar still and will forever remain. She looked back up quickly, silently cursing herself for looking.

"Yes ma'am." She asked as formally as she could even snapping to attention, something she hadn't done since the night after Virmire. The action visible hurt Shepard, but Ashley still held it.

"At ease." She muttered, adding a barely audible, "please." Ashley relaxed, but retained the glare she had fixed on the woman.

"Commander." She said simply, waiting for her to talk. Even the name of her rank, and not "Skipper" stung Shepard.

"Ash." She mumbled ever so quietly, "I know you are mad, and you have every right to be. Just please… hear me out." Ashley felt her anger crumble a little. The Commander was begging, she was practically on her knees and pleading. Hearing no argument, Shepard continued,

"I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted to lie to you. You have to understand that I had to."

"Why?" The simple question struck Shepard.

"Because…" She trailed. The question was harder than she thought, "Because I was ordered to." She offered lamely.

"That's a sad excuse and you know it Commander!" She argued. Shepard hung her head.

"Please stop calling me Commander, Ash." This request sparked the flame again.

"What the hell am I supposed to call you? I don't even know who you are anymore." She yelled. Wrex had been paying attention since he saw Shepard get off the lift, but now Garrus had looked up from the Mako. Shepard flinched as if she was struck. She turned and saw that the turian was paying attention. This was not the way she wanted him to find out about her.

"Lieutenant, to comm. room. Now!" She ordered, her own anger growing. Ashley marched to the elevator, and Shepard stayed a beat behind her. As they left, Garrus walked over to Wrex.

"What the hell is going on?" Wrex just laughed at him.

Both women were silently cursing the slow elevator internally. When it finally reached the top, Ashley burst out of it before the doors had completely opened, flying up the stairs. Shepard chased after her. Williams walked to the center of the comm. room and turned sharply on Shepard.

"Well?" She asked. She knew she was being insubordinate, but at the moment she didn't care if Shepard transferred her.

"You want to know why I didn't tell you Ash!" Shepard snarled, her own rage getting the better of her. "I didn't tell you because I was scared! There! Happy? I was terrified. And I was RIGHT! I knew you would get mad at me. Ashley, I was ordered not to tell anyone by Admiral Hackett and the President. And yes, that is a sad excuse. But I couldn't tell you until I trusted you, and at that point I realized if I told you, you'd hate me. And I was right…" She looked hard at the Lieutenant. "Ash, I hated lying to you. It killed me inside. What only made it worse is when you said that Joleen Baker was your role model growing up. ME! I was your goddamn role model, and here I was lying to you."

Ashley left her eyes drop. Most of her anger had dissipated but it was still there, threatening to boil over again.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" She asked, "If some lunatic wasn't threatening to tell the whole galaxy, would you have ever told me? The truth, Commander, you owe me at least that." She added. Shepard let her gaze fall past Ashley as she thought. After a quiet moment, she slowly nodded.

"Yes. I've wanted to tell you for some time now, I just never could think of the way to do it. Then this happened, and I knew I had to tell you. I couldn't let you find out by some stranger, much less our enemy." She said, and Ashley could tell she was being honest. The anger finally flowed completely out of her. Taxed from so much rage, Ashley sat down, Shepard slowly following suit. Both women sat quietly for a very long time. Finally, Ashley swiveled her chair to face Shepard.

"So what am I supposed to call you now?" She asked sincerely.

"Christa still works. I haven't used Joleen in years. Shepard, Skipper, whatever you want. Just don't use my rank so harshly, ever again." She added, with a small smile. Ashley gave a warm smile back. The two girls left the comm. room together. Outside, Wrex and Garrus had gathered. Wrex grunted when he saw them,

"See you two are friends again." He mumbled, "And here I was hoping for a cat fight." Shepard chuckled. Ashley just rolled her eyes,

"Yeah, you and half of Citadel space are hoping." Both women laughed.

"I can vouch for that." Joker's voice came over the intercom. Garrus looked blankly at the Commander.

"I still have no idea what's going on." Shepard sighed and took him down to the mess. All four of them sat down and Shepard explained the story she had to tell twice now. Garrus listened intently, with no obvious sign of emotion displayed. When she finished, the turian looked at Ashley,

"This is what you were yelling about?" He looked back at Shepard, "Do we still call you Shepard?" He asked, repeating Ashley question from the bay with much less anger.

"Shepard, please. You three and Joker are the only ones that know. I'm sure scuttlebutt will tell the rest of the crew for me." She added sarcastically. Garrus nodded slightly.

"So now that everyone is on the same page, what are we going to do about this maniac?" Wrex grumbled. Shepard sighed heavily. The drama had distracted her from the fact that her life was in danger once again.

"I'm not sure. We don't know who this enemy is, we have no clues…" She began.

"There is that Prothean disk we found on Earth." Wrex quipped. The rest agreed.

"Alright. Joker, let's go to the Citadel and see how Liara is doing with the disk." Shepard ordered over the intercom.

"Aye Aye, Commander."

****

The presidium was pristine as ever. As beautiful as it was, Shepard always felt apprehensive being there. Liara had agreed to meet with her there by the Krogan Statue. Ashley had hung back with her while she waited. Garrus hadn't been back to the Citadel since he suddenly left to aid the Commander, and had business to take care of, and Wrex was more than likely at Chora's Den. Shepard was pacing again, trying to keep her head down from being recognized. Her actions against Saren and the Reapers had earned her galactic fame. With fame, came rumors, and Shepard had the worst of them. It was as if every single rumor ever conceived in Earth's Hollywood had been multiplied by the millions and aimed at the Spectre.

Mostly Shepard ignored them, but some stray ones managed to get to her. Mostly she laughed them off, out of their sheer absurdity. Much like the Hollywood of her past, she found most of the rumors revolved around her sudden pregnancy. If they were all true, Shepard would have birthed enough children to form her own galaxy. Her favorite was that she was, in fact, having all these children, but only because Wrex was eating them and it was the only way the Spectre could control the krogan. After this particular article was released, Shepard quickly printed it and read it to her crew. Ashley had actually fallen to the ground laughing, while Wrex merely smiled manically.

"They're on to us Shepard." He informed before he turned to leave the hysterical women. He stopped and looked back over his shoulder, "By the way, I'm getting hungry."

Remember the moment brought a smile to Shepard's face. She chuckled to herself as she continued to pace. Ashley had sat herself down on the bench and was nearly nodding off.

"Shepard, Williams!" A happy voice called out. Both women turned to see Liara walking towards them, her face lit up.

"Liara, hey." Shepard greeted, "Anything on the disk?" She asked, hopeful. Liara's smile shrunk, but didn't fade.

"Yes actually. I was able to decrypt a part of the information the disk held, but there is reason." She explained. Both women had their full attention on the asari.

"The disk was already decrypted." She stated simply. At the same time, the humans raised their eyebrows. Liara giggled slightly at their simultaneous act.

"Is that good or bad?" Ashley asked, "Did the geth decrypt it?" Liara shook her head.

"No, the decryption was in English. This is what is so odd." Her eyes trailed off as she thought about it.

"Shepard, I must admit. No one has ever decrypted a Prothean data disk. I was hoping if I didn't tell you then I could subject the disk to prototype readers. The readers are untested because the data disks are normally too fragile to risk in trial. But your disk, it was very well preserved; I thought it might be able to handle testing. Imagine my surprise when I find the disk is already decrypted." She informed. Shepard still had a slight look of confusion.

"So… Is that good or bad?" She repeated Ashley's question.

"Neither," Liara shrugged, "At least, I don't believe so. I believe the disk was intentionally decrypted, and intentionally found by this Alan Baker, you spoke of."

"By who?" Ashley interjected. Liara sighed deeply,

"The Reapers." Now the two humans' jaws dropped simultaneously. Their shock led the asari to panic slightly. "That is my theory at least. As you may recall when you spoke to Sovereign, it claimed that the Reapers decide which path organic life develops on. If Sovereign spoke the truth, then it would make sense that the Reapers decrypted the disk, and allowed Mr. Baker to discover it." She tried explaining. Shepard held her forehead tightly as she tried to understand.

"What exactly did that disk have on it?" She asked.

"Instructions to building a ship." Liara said. Ashley turned to Shepard, eyes wide with realization.

"The Omaha. If Liara is right about the Reapers, then that would make sense. The Omaha is what we based all our modern ships on. If the Reapers wanted to set us on the path to outer space, then that was it." She said in a hushed voice.

"Liara, if Alan Baker created a ship following those directions, do you think the ship would survive a wormhole." Shepard asked. Liara thought for a moment then nodded.

"Yes. Even without kinetic barriers, a ship of this design should hold. But Shepard, I do not believe the geth were after this information as you may have believed. All ships in space have been using this design long before the humans found it. Otherwise, we wouldn't have even made it through Mass Relays." Liara told them. Shepard shrugged,

"The geth are acting under another leader, though we don't know who yet. He, or she, has only made their plans known." She updated the asari, then turning to Ashley added, "But this explains how I survived, how I'm here."

Liara raised her eyebrow at the statement. The humans saw the confused look and Shepard sighed deeply again. She began to tell Liara that their new enemy was going to expose her, and she had started to say who she really is when Liara stopped her.

"I already know who you are Commander." She said quietly. A look of disbelief crossed Shepard's face.

"How the hell do you know already?" Ashley blurted.

"I-I saw your memories when we melded minds." She stammered. "I didn't make sense to me at the time, so I never mentioned it. But after you explained who Joleen was in our last meeting, Ashley, I pieced it together." Shepard felt silly. It should have been obvious that the asari knew her secrets after sharing her mind with the woman. Shepard sat down on the bench, and stared out at the water. Despite the information Liara had given them, she still had no clue who her enemy was, or what to do next. Saren seemed easier to catch because he was tangible; there was a face and a name to track. Now, Shepard had nothing. Liara placed herself gently next to the Commander.

"If you will have it, Shepard, I would like to return to your team to face this new foe. I will admit that I may be less of a help this time, but if someone is trying to aid the Reapers in their return, then I wish to fight." The young asari seemed determined, even if her voice did reveal a small quiver of fear. Liara was not combat-hardened like the two marines before her, but her biotics had proved to be stellar in battle. Shepard smiled brightly,

"Yes, of course Liara. You are always welcomed on my team and my ship, whether during battle or not." The asari returned the smile. "Albeit, I have no idea what we are doing currently." She admitted. Ashley put her hands on the others' shoulders.

"We'll figure it out Skipper, don't worry." She reassured. Shepard sighed and rolled her head back to look up at her Lieutenant.

"Yeah… Until then, what do you say about a small shore leave?" Ashley smiled mischievously,

"Oh hell yeah. You've got a lot of making up to do to me." She laughed as Shepard's face fell, "What? You thought I was going to let you off the hook that easily? I thought you knew me, Skipper?

****

Apparently, Ashley's place of punishment was Flux. She ordered two drinks and brought them back to the table where Shepard sat. The Commander gave the drinks a skeptical look.

"What in God's name is that?" She asked, picking up the glass and swirling the green tinged liquid. Ashley laughed as she sipped her odd drink.

"Honestly? No idea. Doran made it." She giggled more as continued to drink. Shepard still questioned the glass. Ashley flashed her a confused look.

"What's the matter Chris? Just try it. It's good. Strong as hell, but good." Ashley said, taking a large gulp to prove it.

"Ash. I'm pretty sure this will kill me." Christa said as sniffed the mixture, the alcohol burning her nostrils.

"Shit, you've mowed down countless geth, but you afraid of a little drink?" Ashley teased.

"Not afraid," She defended, "It's just- Since you know about me now, I can tell you that…I've only drunken twice before." She said in a hushed voice. Ashley was certain that she had misheard.

"What?" She asked, "But you had a drink with me on Armistice Day. And again after I was promoted." Ashley reminded.

"Yeah... That's twice by my count, and I only had one drink each time. Whatever you gave me after you were promoted really did me in." Shepard replied, remembering how she hung around the Wards until she had fallen to a buzzed state before she returned to the Normandy. Ashley looked at her half downed drink, then reached over and took Christa's from her.

"Maybe we shouldn't start you off with this." She informed, placing the drink in front of her. She got up and ordered another from Doran. She handed the new drink to Shepard, who again eyed it suspiciously.

"This one is a human drink. That last one had more different drinks than species in the Citadel." She giggled. Ashley was obviously more tolerant to the drinks, because the green liquor had just caused her to be buzzed. Shepard sipped her drink, and made a face when the alcohol hit her tongue. The taste was immediately replaced with a fruitier, less offending flavor. Ashley laughed as Shepard drank, her face flinching less and less as she sipped more.

"The crew would never let you live it down if they found out you were a lightweight Skipper." Ashley mocked. Shepard smirked at her. The second she put her glass down, Ashley grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the dance floor. The two girls danced together and with others on the floor, much to the delight of the male population on the floor. After hours of drinking, dancing, gambling, and laughing, the two girls left the club. Bother of them were coming down from their drunken states and decided to walk around the quiet presidium. The artificial sky had darkened to simulate nighttime and the presidium looked almost haunting in the moonlight. The two marines reached the Tower and shuddered at the memories there. In the darkness of night, it was easier to remember the Citadel Tower as it was the time of their final battle there. Only the emergency lights had lit their path to Saren. Shepard turned down the pathway towards where the Mass Relay once stood. After everyone knew what it truly was, it was immediately demolished. _"Wonder if they will do that me?" _Shepard thought sadly. Anymore thoughts were interrupted when the women realized a new statue had been erected.

Lights illuminated the new marble statue so it was clear as day. Shepard's jaw hung slack as she stared. Carved in stone and high above the two women, was a miniature version of the Fifth Fleet, with the Normandy at point. At the bottom of the statue stood seven proud figures. At full size, the ground crew of the Normandy stared back at Shepard. She stared into her own stone eyes, before she moved on to look at the marble version of Ashley, Wrex, Garrus, Liara, Tali, and finally Kaidan. Her throat caught as she looked upon Kaidan. She felt Ashley's warm hand take hers, both to comfort, and be comforted.

"How they hell did we not see this?" Shepard stuttered. Ashley merely shook her head,

"I guess we were both trying to avoid looking over here earlier." She tried to reason, but added, "How the hell could no one tell us about this?" Shepard agreed, and then suddenly tugged at Ashley's hand, pulling her along. Back in front of the Tower, the VI Avina popped up and greeted the two.

"Hello an-"The VI started. Shepard cut her off though.

"Tell me about that new statue." She ordered. Avina nodded.

"The Battle of the Citadel Statue was constructed in the past month. It honors the human Alliance Naval fleet, the Acrturus Fleet, as well as the first human Council Spectre and Lieutenant Commander, Christa Shepard, and her crew. This human fleet, headed by the SSV Normandy, piloted by Jeff "Joker" Moreau, led the Battle of the Citadel, first saving the Destiny Ascension which was carrying the Council, then attacking the Reaper Sovereign. Commander Shepard's crew, consisting of, the now, First Lieutenant Ashley Williams, Second Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, krogan Battlemaster Urdnot Wrex, the now, turian Council Spectre Garrus Vakarian, asari Scientist Liara T'Soni, and the quarian Engineer Tali'Zorah nar Rayyah led the fight against the rogue turian Council Spectre Saren Arterius, his army of geth, and the Reaper Sovereign. Second Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was honorably killed in the line of action during the Battle of Virmire." Avina explained monotonously. Shepard was still astonished at the statue.

"Who ordered the statue to be built?" She asked.

"The Battle of the Citadel Statue was ordered by the three original Council members to honor the sacrifice, courage, honor, and determination of the humans and Commander Shepard's crew." Ashley stared at the statue. Both of the soldiers where humbled by the marble honor, but what really touched them was the extra mention Kaidan.

"I think that's enough for one night, eh?" Shepard asked, already heading for a rapid transit. Ashley rolled her eyes,

"Yeah, I'm just dying for a sleeper pod." Shepard laughed once, and Ashley looked at her strangely, "What does that mean?" She asked, slightly concerned that her Commander was mocking her sleeping arrangements. Shepard just smiled,

"Just you wait." She got in the transit and hit the coordinates. Ashley flashed another strange look.

"That's…not where the Normandy is, Skipper. Are you still drunk?" She asked with a small chuckle. Shepard rolled her eyes.

"I said, 'wait.'" She reminded. Ashley kept quiet until the transit stopped outside of an apartment complex. Shepard smiled again, this time brandishing a key and waggling it in Ashley's face.

"You have an apartment? Just outside of the presidium?! Shepard, are you secretly rich as well?" Shepard laughed.

"No, but if my old bank still existed, I bet the interest I've collected would be insane. This," She said as she lead Ashley to the third floor, "Is just one of the perks of being a Council Spectre."

Shepard reached a door, and inserted her key. The lock clicked and the door opened. Just as would be expected from a presidium apartment, the place was huge and beautiful. Ashley's jaw actually dropped.

"This isn't an apartment, Skipper. This is a mansion." Shepard laughed again.

"I have a spare room, the bed is all yours. A real bed, not a pod." She added sarcastically. Ashley walked in and made herself comfortable. She threw herself onto the soft leather couch.

"Oh god, Chris. This place is awesome." She said, still in slight shock. Shepard joined her friend on the couch, throwing her feet up over the arm. She laid back so her head was right by Ashley's legs, looking up at her. Ashley smirked down,

"You look like one of my sisters sitting like that." She commented, but looking at Shepard something struck her.

"…Wait. How long have you been in this time?" She asked suddenly. The question threw Shepard for a moment. She still wasn't used to people knowing who she was.

"Wha-Oh right. Well its early 2184, and I landed here in," She trailed off as she thought,"'81. So, three years in a couple months." Ashley did the math in her head, then her eyes widened in surprise.

"You are only TWENTY-TWO?!" Ashley exclaimed. Shepard shrugged.

"Twenty-three in April, unless you were to find my real birth certificate. Then, I'm 170." She said, with a slight jest to her voice. Ashley grunted.

"When is your real birthday?" She asked.

"April 11, 2014." Again, Ashley thought.

"4-11-14? The code for all the locks in that Earth house? Your old house?" She added. Shepard laughed.

"My dad sucked at remembering passcodes. He kept them all the same, and he felt like his birth date might have been too obvious. Apparently, mine was just a tad less obvious…" She remarked, smiling slightly as she remembered her dad. Ashley smiled down with an empathetic understanding.

"I was his baby girl, his one and only. Me and mom were close, but nothing like me and dad. He used to joke that I was born in a space ship, and that's not far from the truth. I spent half my life at NASA, the other half in that hangar. He homeschooled me, taught me everything I know." Shepard's eyes glazed over as she spoke. A gentle softness overtook them, but a dull pain was obvious. It had slipped Ashley's mind that Shepard's parent did not die on Mindoir like her file says.

"What happened to him?" She asked.

"Both my parents died of old age. Simple, quiet deaths. It wasn't too had to find, thanks to the fame my flight caused. I have never been able to find anything on my old friends though. It's hard to uncover century old death certificates. I like to believe they lived long lives too though. It was hard though. Took me nearly a month after I landed to realize they were all gone. I had been in flight, for what felt like a few hours, and when I landed everything I knew was gone. I was just so busy when I landed. Hackett took me right away, had my face changed. I kept my eyes and hair…My parents' favorites. Mom loved my hair; she'd play with it for hours." Shepard though, absentmindedly running a hand through her brown hair, pushing a lock from her face. "Dad was mental about my eyes, always told me, 'With eyes like those Joleen, you are going to break the hearts of thousands of guys.'"

She looked hard into the eyes of her Commander. It was easy to forget that she had a hidden identity, since her face did not reflect the image that so many pictures and vids did of Joleen Baker. But now, focusing on her eyes revealed the obvious. Ashley felt stupid for not seeing it before. She always adored the unique eyes that her role model had. They almost appeared to change at times. They bore a mixture of blue green and grey, shifting colors much like the oceans. Shepard also wore the same hairstyle that the young pilot had. Unruly bangs that would separate themselves from an otherwise well-kept bun. Now looking down on Shepard, she saw the face of Joleen. Ashley became suddenly aware of how young she actually was. As she lied there reminiscing of her father, a childish look crossed the eyes. A look that reminded Ashley of Liara, young and innocent.

That youth and innocence only lasted a short time before Shepard caught herself in her memories. Her eyes steeled over, and a switch overcame the young woman. Ashley had very nearly witnessed a physical switch from Flight Commander Joleen Baker, to Council Spectre Commander Christa Shepard. These new eyes stared up with experience and maturity. These eyes had seen the horrors of death, destruction, indoctrination, and extinction. These eyes had stared down thousands of geth, an indoctrinated Matriarch, a rogue Spectre, and a vanguard of the organic destruction. When Ashley realized these eyes were one in the same with the eyes of innocence, a pain assaulted her heart. She hated knowing someone so young had been literally dropped into this world, this war. Ashley had always been overprotective of Shepard, as her CO. She had often pulled her weapon on whoever seemed a threat. Wrex had often found himself in Williams' sights. On Virmire, Ashley had volunteered herself to join the salarians only as a formality. In truth she did not want to join the infiltration team, she wanted to be by her Commander's side watching her six. Now Ashley felt a more familiar over-protectiveness wash over her, one that only the oldest of four sisters could have.

Shepard sighed deeply, jarring both girls from their thoughts. Shepard smiled as a new thought crossed her mind.

"Sometimes, I just miss the past. I know I can't go back but… Occasionally I wish I had taken a regular job instead of going into the NASA program, like teaching or something." She mused. Ashley took in the comment, allowing herself to fall into thought again. Her imagination projected an image of Shepard in full Spectre garb, heavy armor and completely armed, standing in the front of a classroom with twenty terrified children. The thought caused Ashley to burst out in laughter.

"No way Skipper, a 'safe' job is totally not your style. You are just too good a marine to be behind a desk of any sort." Ashley chuckled. Shepard laughed herself.

"Funny how that works out eh? I'm 'too good a marine' and yet I've only been in the Alliance for two years, most of that was training." She commented. Ashley thought for a moment.

"True…But you had Special Ops training, with Admiral Hackett himself. You may have just landed into this life, but you were not just handed a rank, you earned it." Ashley reasoned. A small smile broke on Shepard's face. "Besides Skipper, Basic never taught us how to neutralize a geth. No one taught us how to face a rogue Spectre. Hell, no one even knew Reapers existed before that beacon gave you the vision. Nearly everything we've faced, you can't be taught. That's all instinct Skipper, you are a natural leader. That's why everyone falls in line behind you, even Wrex. That's what we all trust, and will continue to trust even if this bastard exposes you." Ashley hesitated for a moment, before continuing,

"I know I blew up on you when you told me who you really were Skipper, it took me a while to deal with my anger. I felt betrayed and I couldn't think straight. But you haven't changed; _you_ are still the same person you have always been. 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'" She finished. Tears of gratitude rimmed Shepard's eyes; the red in them caused her irises to appear a startling green. The two women spent a long while in silence. Williams never considered herself a word person, and even though she had adapted Shakespeare into her speech, no more words needed to be said.

Content, Shepard rolled over and faced the television. Ashley fumbled about until she located the remote. The screen flickered to life. She surfed the channels in attempt to find something interesting at the late hour.

"…Ther-…Tonight on-…ara T'Son-…Just 19.95-…." The television sounded as the channels changed. Shepard reached up and grabbed Ashley's wrist.

"Go back." She ordered swiftly, as if they were on the battlefield. The channel flipped back to the late night news broadcast that was already in progress.

"The house had been ransacked, though it is unknown if anything was stolen. Doctor T'Soni was not at the house at the time of the invasion and she was unharmed. No perpetrators had been turned in as of yet, and investigators are unsure if the attack was a random breaking and entering, or a plot against Doctor T'Soni. Citadel Security says, that due to the actions of Doctor T'Soni along with Council Spectre, Commander Shepard and her crew, the lists of suspects is very long. More on this story as it develops…" The broadcast continued on to something about the krogan 'organ' black market, but both of the women had stopped listening.

"Goddamn Skipper…You think Liara is…" Her question was cut off by a knock at the door. Having just seen the news report of their friend's house being broken into, the two marines were on high-alert. Ashley pulled a pistol out from a concealed location. Shepard took point and held at the door control, preparing to open it. As the door slid open, Ashley readied her weapon for assault. At the threshold stood Wrex, with a very hysterical Liara clinging to his forearm. Ashley returned her weapon immediately, but Wrex had seen it.

"That makes it, what? Three times you've pulled a weapon on me Williams?" Wrex asked sarcastically. Ashley smirked.

"And look at you Wrex! It seems as though krogans do have hearts." She quipped, eyeing the asari who uncomfortably detached herself from the hulking krogan. Wrex entered the apartment, moving into Ashley's space.

"Don't tell anyone." He jokingly threatened. Ashley just laughed,

"Screw that Wrex, I'm telling the presses. 'Breaking News, Krogans Care.'" She mocked a news anchor.

"This just in!" Shepard blurted from the side, "Krogans refute claim of concern by killing everyone. More on this as-BAM." She imitated a shotgun blast. Wrex snarl morphed to a begrudging smile. A small smile even broke on Liara's tear stained face. Liara was now standing as close to Shepard without actually latching herself onto the human. Her sniffles brought everyone back to reality. Concern washed over Shepard's face.

"Liara, are you alright? No one hurt you did they?" She shook her head softly in response.

"No, I was with you and Ashley when the intruders broke into my apartment. I do not know what they wanted from me, nothing was taken." The shock of the incident was obvious as Liara spoke. Her voice caught a few times. Shepard figured she was in the same panic that she had entered when the geth had invaded her dig site on Therum. The same panic that caused her to activate the Prothean security, which protected her but, also trapped her. Wrex grunted from the couch, where he had already made himself comfortable.

"If you ask me, what they were looking for was home at the time." He said in his gruff voice. Liara took in his comment, and a flash of understanding came over her.

"You mean…Me? They were after me? But I am surely of no use to some Citadel thugs." Again Wrex just grunted.

"No, maybe not alive." He just growled apathetically. Shepard knew where he was heading.

"Your death surely would have taken a toll on me." She said softly. Liara took a brief moment to collect herself, realizing once again her life was very nearly taken. Had Shepard not requested to meet her in the presidium at that very day, very hour… She would be joining her mother and Athame.

"This enemy is getting more and more personal Skipper. First your hometown, then my family, and now going straight for our crew." Ashley noticed. Shepard nodded.

"We need to get back out there. I'll contact Garrus to meet us at the Normandy. Let's move out." She ordered.

****

Back on the Normandy, Garrus informed Shepard that he was in C-Sec when the investigation was taking place, and they were clueless as to what was going on. Shepard hated this feeling of having an unknown enemy but, for now, she knew his strategy.

"Joker!" She called out as she stood before the galaxy map.

"Yes Commander?" He asked back over the intercom.

"Get the last known coordinates of the quarian Migrant Fleet, and set a course for them ASAP." She commanded. The coordinates popped up on the galaxy map to show the most recent position of the Flotilla was passing the Han System in the Gemini Sigma.

"ETA fourteen hours, Commander." Joker informed, then the intercom clicked off.

"Let's hope that's fast enough…" Shepard thought out loud.

* * *

Hope you liked it! If you did, review! If you didn't, review anyways! Tell me about it! REVIEW! -amante


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